Ice Seal Tracking Maps Archive
07/209/2020 – 08/223/2020
From 27 July to 10 August 2020, we received locations for 1 bearded, 4 ringed and 3 spotted seals, all were in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The adult bearded seal (BS19-01-M, red square) remained near heavy sea ice, north of the continental shelf, in the western Beaufort Sea. Two ringed seals, RS19-02-M (yellow arrow) and RS19-03-M (orange arrow), were in the western Beaufort Sea, near the shelf break. The remaining two ringed seals, RS19-04-M (blue arrow) and RS19-05-M (purple arrow), were in the northern Chukchi Sea. One spotted seal, SS19-01-M (red circle), was in the western Beaufort Sea and Dease Inlet. The remaining two spotted seals, SS19-04-M (pink circle) and SS19-05-M (purple circle), were near Icy Cape in the Chukchi Sea.
These seals were tagged during the summer and fall of 2019. As expected, the primary tags we epoxied to their backs have since fallen off during the annual molt this spring. The locations we are currently receiving are from the SPOT tags we attached to their flippers. Because SPOT tags are attached to their flippers we only receive locations when the seal has hauled out of the water, either on sea ice or land. Sea ice data are courtesy of the U.S. National Ice Center, dated 10 August 2020 (http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/daily_products.html).
These seals were tagged during the summer and fall of 2019. As expected, the primary tags we epoxied to their backs have since fallen off during the annual molt this spring. The locations we are currently receiving are from the SPOT tags we attached to their flippers. Because SPOT tags are attached to their flippers we only receive locations when the seal has hauled out of the water, either on sea ice or land. Sea ice data are courtesy of the U.S. National Ice Center, dated 10 August 2020 (http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/daily_products.html).