Ice Seal Tracking Maps Archive

11/333/2016 – 12/347/2016

Requested Tracking Map
During the last 14 days we have received locations for 5 bearded seals, 2 ringed seals, and 9 spotted seals. Of interest, during this period we received locations from three SPOT flipper tags that have not transmitted locations since soon after they were deployed on seals (bearded seals BS16-01-M, dashed green and BS16-05-F, red square; and ringed seal RS16-07-M, yellow triangle), in July and August. Because these tags were attached to the seals' flippers the tags only send locations when the seals are hauled out on sea ice or land. Of note, one of these bearded seals, BS16-05-F, is located in the Beaufort Seal, along the coastline of northern Alaska, between Barrow and Kaktovik. Four seals, three spotted and one ringed seal, are located in dense sea ice within the central and southern Chukchi Sea. The rest of the seals are located south of the Bering Strait; most are near the ice edge, within the marginal ice zone, but a few are located near shore within Norton Sound, near Scammon Bay, and along the Russian coast. No clear satellite images were available from the NASA Rapid Response Network because of thick cloud cover again. Therefore, sea ice data are courtesy of the U.S. National Ice Center and dated 12 December (http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/).

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