USGS Alaska Science Center Polar Bear Maternal Dens

George Durner

doi:10.5066/p9rphh50

USGS Alaska Science Center Polar Bear Maternal Dens

Citation

Durner, G. M., 2010, Catalogue of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and nearby areas, 1910-2018 (ver. 2.0, January, 2020): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9RPHH50 accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-05-30.

Description

This data reports on the approximate locations and methods of discovery of 530 polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal dens observed in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and neighboring areas between 1910 and 2018, and archived partly by the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, and partly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, in Anchorage, Alaska. Data fields include a unique and permanent USGS identifier for each record, the year when the adult would have been expected to depart the den with young, an index of whether the maternal den was confirmed or probable, coordinates of the den, substrate that each den occurred on, the agency source of each record, method of discovery of each den, method used to determine the position of each den, and estimated position uncertainty. Data were collected through standardized VHF aircraft surveys and satellite radio telemetry, field research activities in polar bear habitat, and anecdotal reports from other government agencies, coastal residents, and industry personnel. The polar bear maternal den records presented here supersede an earlier version of these data (Durner and others, 2010)

Additional info

Marine, harvested by OBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Geographic Coverages

Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea of northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia

Bibliographic Citations

Durner, G.M., Amstrup, S.C., Atwood, T.C., Douglas, D.C., Fischbach, A.S., Olson, J.W., Rode, K.D., and Wilson, R.R., 2019, Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and nearby areas, 1910–2018: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1121 12 p. including appendixes, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1121 - https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1121
Olson JW, Rode KD, Eggett D, Smith TS and others (2017) Collar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 564:211-224. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12000 - https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12000
Karyn D Rode, Jay Olson, Dennis Eggett, David C Douglas, George M Durner, Todd C Atwood, Eric V Regehr, Ryan R Wilson, Tom Smith, Michelle St. Martin, Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate, Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 99, Issue 1, 1 February 2018, Pages 16–26, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx181 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx181
Durner, G.M., Fischbach, A.S., Amstrup, S.C., and Douglas, D.C., 2010, Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort Sea and neighboring regions, Alaska, 1910–2010: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 568, 14 p. - https://doi.org/10.3133/ds568
Fischbach, A.S., Amstrup, S.C. & Douglas, D.C. Polar Biol (2007) 30: 1395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0300-4 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0300-4

Contacts

George Durner
originator
position: Research Zoologist
U.S. Geological Survey
4210 University Drive
Anchorage
99508-4626
AK
US
email: gdurner@usgs.gov
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3370-1191

Abigail Benson
metadata author
position: Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey
email: albenson@usgs.gov

Abby Benson
publisher
position: Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey
email: albenson@usgs.gov
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4391-107X

George Durner
administrative point of contact
position: Research Zoologist
U.S. Geological Survey
4210 University Drive
Anchorage
99508-4626
AK
US
email: gdurner@usgs.gov
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3370-1191