Measuring the effects of human activity on Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii)

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Unknown

Publication_Date: Unknown

Title: Measuring the effects of human activity on Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii)

Description:

Abstract:

The number of people travelling to Antarctica is growing, with much of the recent increase in visitor numbers attributable to an expansion in commercial tourism (Enzenbacher 1992; 1994). Most visitors to the region seek direct interactions with the wildlife and so visit breeding groups of seals and seabirds (Stonehouse 1965; Muller-Schwarze 1984). Invariably, this involves travelling to breeding sites by helicopter, inflatable motorised boat (e.g. zodiac) or over-snow vehicle, then making relatively close approaches on foot to photograph and observe the animals. At present, there is information to suggest that visitation can have a negative effect on some Antarctic wildlife, causing changes to behaviour, physiology and breeding success (Culik et al. 1989; Woehler et al. 1994, Giese 1996; Giese 1998, Giese and Riddle 1999). However, the responses of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) to human activity have never been systematically examined. As a result, any guidelines to control human activity around these animals are based either on opportunistic observations of seal response, and/or assumptions as to the level of disturbance seals are experiencing. Therefore, the primary objective of the research is to measure the responses of Weddell seals to various human disturbance stimuli. In so doing, the research aims to make quality information available for the development of a comprehensive and scientifically based set of guidelines for managing interactions between people and Antarctic seals. The research will adopt an experimental approach, whereby seals are experimentally exposed to particular types and intensities of human activity while their responses are objectively quantified. As far as possible, experiments are designed to replicate actual disturbances that Weddell seals are presently exposed to in Antarctica. As such, the responses of cow/pup pairs to approaches by pedestrians, over-snow vehicles and helicopters will be examined. In particular, experiments will investigate how approach distance (or altitude), approach speed, time of day, weather conditions and the time of the breeding season, influence the responses of Weddell Seals to these disturbance stimuli. Disturbance responses will be quantified by measuring the behaviour and heart rate of individual seals and the haul-out behaviour of entire groups of animals. Experiments will also be conducted to quantify the sound generated by vehicle operations in Antarctica to help determine whether anthropogenic noise effects vocal communication among Weddell seal, as indicated by changes in their calling rates. Also see the metadata record entitled: Behavioural responses of Weddell seals to human activity. At this stage most of the analysis is in progress and therefore it is not possible to provide complete data sets. These will be submitted upon the completion of the work. The attached word document summarises the experiments that have been completed during the three field seasons to date (up to the end of the 2002/2003 season), which included, the experiment type, location and sample size. The two excel data sheets 'Experimental recording details' provide information on the video recordings that were made during the 2001/2002 and the 2002/2003 summers. These details state the experimental procedure, the details of the experimental, the time, date etc. They include Hi8 video camera recordings of Weddell seal behaviour and DAT recordings of vocalisations. Biological data collected during the 2002/2003 summer include: Collected 10 sample of blood (up to 50 ml each) Collected 6 samples of urine Collected 11 samples of fur Collected 9 samples of blubber Collected 6 samples of faecal swabs (from the ice or thermometer) Conducted a post mortem on a recently deceased seal and collected organ and tissue samples. These samples are being analysed by investigators in ASAC 1144. When results are available they will documented in either ASAC 1148 or 1144. The fields in this dataset are: Date Time Tape Number Counter Number Camera Number Cow ID New ID Event Respiration Rate Heart Rate Where Approached Position of Pup Distance of Closest Pair Distance of Tide Crack Location Wind Direction Cloud Cover Temperature Wind Speed Conductivity Salinity pH Further data has been added to the archive for up to the end of the 2006. These include data files, plus scanned field notes taken during the project. Finally, video tapes relating to the project have also been stored in the Australian Antarctic Division's multimedia library.

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Giese, M.A and van Polanen Petel, T.D. 2001 Minimising the Disturbance to Antarctic Wildlife Australian Antarctic Magazine 1 14-15

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A. and Bryden, M. 2001 Do Visitors Disturb Weddell Seals in Antarctica? Presented at the Southern Hemisphere Marine Mammal Conference, Phillip Island, Australia.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A. and Bryden, M. 2001 Measuring the Effects of Human Activity on Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Antarctica. Presented at the SCAR Biology Symposium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Wotherspoon, S and Hindell, M.A. 2008 A preliminary investigation of the effect of repeated pedestrian approaches to Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) Applied Animal Behaviour Science 112 1 205-211

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Wotherspoon, S and Hindell, M.A. 2007 The behavioural response of lactating Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) to over-snow vehicles: A Case Study Canadian Journal of Zoology 85 4 488-496

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T., Terhune, J.M., Hindell, M.A. and Giese, M.A. 2006 An Assessment of the Audibility of Sound from Human Transport by Breeding Weddell Seals Leptonychotes weddellii Wildlife Research 33 275-291

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D. 2005 Measuring the Effects of Human Activity on Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Antarctica Monash University Doctoral thesis

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Bodley, K., van Polanen Petel, T. and Gales, N. 2004 Immobilisation of Free-living Weddell Seals Leptonychotes weddellii using Midazolam and Isoflurane. Polar Biology 28 631-636

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Hindell, M.A., and Wotherspoon, S. 2005 The Behavioural Responses of Lactating Weddell Seals and their Pups (Leptonychotes weddellii) to Pedestrian Approaches. Presented at the International Wildlife Management Society Conference, Hobart, Australia.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Hindell, M.A., and Wotherspoon, S. 2004 Behavioural Responses of Lactating Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) to Human Activity. Presented at the Australian Marine Science Association Conference, Hobart, Australia.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Hindell, M.A., and Riddle, M.J. 2003 Measuring the Effects of Human Activity on Weddell Seals in Antarctica. Presented at the 3rd International Wildlife Management Congress, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A., Hindell, M.A., and Wotherspoon, S. 2005 The Behavioural Responses of Lactating Weddell Seals and their Pups (Leptonychotes weddellii) to Pedestrian Approaches. Presented at the Society of Marine Mammal Conference, San Diego, USA.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A. and Bryden, M. 2001 Do Visitors Disturb Weddell Seals in Antarctica? Presented at the Southern Hemisphere Marine Mammal Conference, Phillip Island, Australia

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: van Polanen Petel, T.D., Giese, M.A. and Bryden, M. 2001 Are Humans in Antarctica Having an Effect on Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii)? Presented at the Sustainable Wildlife Tourism Conference, Hobart, Australia.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20001027

Ending_Date: 20001210

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20011025

Ending_Date: 20011205

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20021025

Ending_Date: 20030115

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 110.0

East_Bounding_Coordinate: 111.0

North_Bounding_Coordinate: -66.0

South_Bounding_Coordinate: -67.0

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD PLATFORM

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD INSTRUMENT

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: DATA SET LANGUAGE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > AGRICULTURE > ANIMAL SCIENCE > ANIMAL ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > AGRICULTURE > ANIMAL SCIENCE > ANIMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS

Theme_Keyword: GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS

Theme_Keyword: CAMERAS

Theme_Keyword: Behaviour

Theme_Keyword: Camera Number

Theme_Keyword: Cloud Cover

Theme_Keyword: Conductivity

Theme_Keyword: Counter Number

Theme_Keyword: Cow Id

Theme_Keyword: Date

Theme_Keyword: Distance Of Closest Pair

Theme_Keyword: Distance Of Tide Crack

Theme_Keyword: Disturbance

Theme_Keyword: Event

Theme_Keyword: Heart Rate

Theme_Keyword: Leptonychotes Weddellii

Theme_Keyword: Location

Theme_Keyword: New Id

Theme_Keyword: Ph

Theme_Keyword: Physiology

Theme_Keyword: Position Of Pup

Theme_Keyword: Respiration Rate

Theme_Keyword: Salinity

Theme_Keyword: Tape Number

Theme_Keyword: Temperature

Theme_Keyword: Time

Theme_Keyword: Weddell Seal

Theme_Keyword: Where Approached

Theme_Keyword: Wind Direction

Theme_Keyword: Wind Speed

Theme_Keyword: ECONOMY

Theme_Keyword: OCEANS

Theme_Keyword: ENGLISH

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > DAVIS

Place_Keyword: GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Access_Constraints: Datasets detailing work undertaken are available for download from the url given below. Video tapes have been stored in the multimedia centre of the Australian Antarctic Division. Data are not publicly available.

Use_Constraints:

This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_1148_Weddells when using these data.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: TAMARA VAN POLANEN PETEL

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Position: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Centre for Environmental Management

Address: Central Queensland University

Address: PO Box 1319

City: Central Queensland University

State_or_Province: Queensland

Postal_Code: 4680

Country: Australia

Contact_Voice_Telephone: +61 7 4970 7289

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: +61 7 4970 7207

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: t.vanpolanenpetel@cqu.edu.au

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

See the readme file for information regarding newer datasets. Analysis of data may prove difficult without the correct software dongle.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: AU/AADC > Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Contact_Person: DATA OFFICER AADC

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Australian Antarctic Division

Address: 203 Channel Highway

City: Kingston

State_or_Province: Tasmania

Postal_Code: 7050

Country: Australia

Contact_Voice_Telephone: +61 3 6232 3244

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: +61 3 6232 3351

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: metadata@aad.gov.au

Resource_Description: ASAC_1148_Weddells

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: excel, pdf

Transfer_Size: 14 MB

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://data.aad.gov.au

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

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Online_Option:

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http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/portal/download_file.c...

Access_Instructions:

Download page for the data

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Online_Option:

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https://secure3.aad.gov.au/proms/public/projects/r...

Access_Instructions:

Public information for ASAC project 1148

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Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

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https://secure3.aad.gov.au/proms/public/projects/r...

Access_Instructions:

Public information for ASAC project 1144

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Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

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http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?...

Access_Instructions:

Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset

Fees: Free

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20020102

Metadata_Review_Date: 20110425

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: TAMARA VAN POLANEN PETEL

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Position: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Centre for Environmental Management

Address: Central Queensland University

Address: PO Box 1319

City: Central Queensland University

State_or_Province: Queensland

Postal_Code: 4680

Country: Australia

Contact_Voice_Telephone: +61 7 4970 7289

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: +61 7 4970 7207

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: t.vanpolanenpetel@cqu.edu.au

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time