WhaleNet
Loggerhead Sea Turtle Satellite Data '98
Interpreting Loggerhead Data Results

Transmitter ID's
ID Code Turtle Name
21447 "Moe"
02112 "YOTO"
(Year of the Ocean)
10017 "Randy"
02113 "Humpty Dumpty"

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia.


News article on the release of "Humpty Dumpty"

How to Tag a Turtle!!

Where are the turtles? Maps and Data

  • Data: Loggerhead Turtle Data Table

  • Map to track the Loggerhead Turtle "Humpty Dumpty",
    Map of a larger area.
    Micro-Movement Map, Map 2
    Download and place your fixes of the movements.

  • Map to track the Loggerhead Turtle "Moe",
    Download and place your fixes of the movements.

  • Map to track the turtles, "Randy" and "Yoto",
    Download and place your fixes of the movements.

    Map - Blank (black and white) to track the turtles. Download and place your fixes of the movements.

    Map A to track the turtles. Download and place your fixes of the movements.

    Where's Yoto? (map)

    • Background Information and Loggerhead Links:

  • Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia.

  • Loggerhead Bibliography

  • NMFS Loggerhead Turtle Page

  • NMFS Recovery Plan

  • Loggerhead Page, Turtle Watch Program, North Carolina

  • Turtle Page from Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

    • Satellite Tools, Resources, and Tracking Maps

  • What is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)?

  • Map Generator

  • Distance generator from any two points

  • Click here for Sea Surface Temperature Satellite Images

    HOW to Interpret the Satellite Data

    You can access loggerhead turtle data sets at
    http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/whalenet99    .
    Sort by thread or subject to group all similar data categories, then look for "Data turtles (date)".

    (The following is the actual data that was sent by argos July 10 by e-mail)

    01628 15247 4 12 J 2 1997-07-09 07:29:58 32.787 280.233 0.000 401650108
    1997-07-09 07:33:35 4 242 00 00 00
    00 00 00 00
    157 227 06 32

    01628 15247 22 12 J 0 1997-07-09 09:10:08 32.704 280.190 0.000 401650108
    1997-07-09 09:06:20 1 242 00 00 00

    00 08 00 04
    146 75 36 178
    1997-07-09 09:07:01 1 242 00 00 08
    137 222 03 13
    67 96 167 170

    These are the results of three satellite passes although only two actually have location points.

    How to read the data

    01628 15247 4 12 J 2 1997-07-09 07:29:58 32.787 280.233 0.000 401650108
    1997-07-09 07:33:35 4 242 00 00 00
    00 00 00 00
    157 227 06 32

    Data Key
    01628 program number
    15247 transmitter ID number
    4 number of lines of results in satellite pass
    12 number of sensors
    J name of satellite, here NOAA-J
    2 location class
    1997-07-09 date of location obtained during the pass
    07:29:58 time in UTC (currently -4 hours)
    32.787 transmitter latitude in degrees and thousandths of a degree
    280.233 transmitter longitude in degrees and thousandths
    of a degree, eastward from 00
    0.000 transmitter altitude in km
    401650108 calculated transmit frequency
    1997-07-09 date of data collection
    07:33:35 time-code of data collection, in UTC
    4 number of identical messages received
    242 bin1 sensor(0-1.5m)
    00 bin2 sensor(1.5-4.5m)
    00 bin3 sensor(4.5-7.6m)
    00 bin4 sensor(7.6-10.7m)
    00 bin5 sensor(10.7-19.9m)
    00 bin6 sensor(19.9-29.1m)
    00 bin7 sensor(29.1-38.4m)
    00 bin8 sensor(38.4-205.5m)
    157 temperature bin
    227 number of dives
    06 average dive time
    32 max. dive time

    Each transmitter has its own calibrated temperature chart. See the individual Software Reports for the corresponding system number and ID code.

    The 8 sensor bins collect data as programmed in each transmitter (see software report). The pressure transducer has a 10 second interval and a 34 scaling factor. For example for bin1 242: 242*10 sec. *34= 82280 sec or 1371.33 min. or 22.8555 hours. This means that within a 24 hour period this particular turtle spent 22.8555 hours on bin1 depth which is 0-1.5m.

    Note: these are very small ranges for these sensors and there can be a +/-2m error.

    Temperature reading: just follow the calibrated charts for each transmitter
    Number of dives: 227 * 2 (scaling factor see software report)
    Average Dive Time: 06 * 30 (scaling factor)=180 sec = 3 min.
    Max. Dive Time: 32* 60 (scaling factor)= 1920 sec. = 32 min.
    Add Bin1-Bin8 to get a total time spent underwater in 24 hrs. ( make sure to *10sec*34scaling factor).

    Initial Loggerhead Turtle Data Table

    Many more data sets are available in the WhaleNet Data listserv at http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/whalenet. Sort by thread to group all similar data categories.

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