Abstract:
The seal population on Signy Island has been monitored since 1974. The total number of adult seals were counted in February each year. The island was divided into 6 zones, and the number of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) and other seal species in each zone were counted, typically over several days. For fur seals the number of pups, white seals and entangled seals were also recorded. The first recorded count was conducted in 1974 and counts have been done annually since 1985. This work is carried out to support the conservation of higher predators at Signy.
This work was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (UK) core funding to the British Antarctic Survey.
Keywords:
Antarctic Fur Seal, Arctocephalus gazella, Elephant Seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, Mirounga leonina, Seal count, Weddell Seal
Dunn, M., Waluda, C., Adlard, S., Lynnes, A., Fox, D., Briggs, D., & Morley, T. (2025). Annual population counts of multiple species of seal, Signy Island, 1974-2024 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/8e910ac8-6f52-4548-bbcb-78474b559294
| Access Constraints: | This data is under embargo until the publication of a paper |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is governed by the NERC data policy (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/) and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). |
| Creation Date: | 2025-03-04 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Planned |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK Polar Data Centre |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Michael J Dunn |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Dr Claire M Waluda |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Stacey Adlard |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Amanda Lynnes |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators |
| Name | Derren Fox |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |
| Name | Dirk Briggs |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Tim Morley |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
| Reference: | Waluda, C.M., Gregory, S. & Dunn, M.J. Long-term variability in the abundance of Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella at Signy Island, South Orkneys. Polar Biol 33, 305-312 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0706-2 | |
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| Quality: | Annual surveys followed consistent methodology led by experienced biologists. All personnel were familiar with identifying the three species of seal and care was always taken to examine all areas on the surveys, in order to ensure no seals were missed. Surveys took place in dry and calm weather conditions as high levels of precipitation and strong winds are known to drive large numbers of Antarctic fur seals into the sea for the duration of a storm at Signy Island. Years with no data indicate personnel had not arrived on Signy in time to carry out this activity. For additional information see Waluda et al 2010. | |
| Lineage: | The coastal area of Signy Island was divided into six standard zones which were each divided into a number of regions. The zone boundaries remained unaltered between survey years. Within each zone, all seals present were counted. Direct line-of-sight ground counts, using binoculars, took place led by experienced observers using a consistent methodology. Pairs of observers used tally counters to record each individual adult seal sighted on land and on sea ice adjacent to the coast of each zone, the whole census being completed over a single day prior to 1995 and over two or three days (in February) from 1997 to 2024. In some earlier surveys the month has not been recorded. The data presented here comprises the individual area counts for each survey year. |
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| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 1974-01-01 |
| End Date | 2024-03-31 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -60.71666 |
| Northernmost | -60.71666 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -45.6 |
| Easternmost | -45.6 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | South Orkney Islands |
| Detailed Location | Signy Island |
| Data Collection: | Binoculars Hand-held tally counter |
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