ASC Data

Catalogue of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Maternal Den Locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and Nearby Areas, 1910-2018

Data Download [31KB] | Metadata | AK Science Portal | Project Site | Date Range: 1910 - 2018

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).

Author(s): Durner, G. M.

Suggested 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.

Version History:
First release: 2010
Revised: January 2020 (ver. 2.0)

Referenced Publication(s):

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, D. C. Douglas, A. S. Fischbach, J. W. Olson, K. D. Rode, and R. R. Wilson. 2020. Catalogue of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and nearby areas, 1910-2018. USGS Data Series 1121. doi:10.3133/ds1121

Atwood, T. C., J. F. Bromaghin, V. P. Patil, G. M. Durner, D. C. Douglas, and K. S. Simac. 2020. Analyses on subpopulation abundance and annual number of maternal dens for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska. USGS Open-File Report 2020-1087. doi:10.3133/ofr20201087

Amstrup, S. C. and C. L. Gardner. 1994. Polar bear maternity denning in the Beaufort Sea. Journal of Wildlife Management 58(1):1-10. doi:10.2307/3809542

Olson, J. W., K. D. Rode, D. L. Eggett, T. S. Smith, R. R. Wilson, G. M. Durner, A. S. Fischbach, T. C. Atwood, and D. C. Douglas. 2017. Collar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land. Marine Ecology Progress Series 564:211-224. doi:10.3354/meps12000

Rode, K. D., J. W. Olson, D. L. Eggett, D. C. Douglas, G. M. Durner, T. C. Atwood, E. V. Regehr, R. R. Wilson, T. S. Smith, and M. St. Martin. 2018. Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing climate. Journal of Mammalogy 99(1):16-26. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyx181

Fischbach, A. S., S. C. Amstrup, and D. C. Douglas. 2007. Landward and eastward shift of Alaskan polar bears denning associated with recent sea ice changes. Polar Biology 30:1395-1405. doi:10.1007/s00300-007-0300-4

Durner, G. M., A. S. Fischbach, S. C. Amstrup, and D. C. Douglas. 2010. Catalogue of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Maternal Den Locations in the Beaufort Sea and Neighboring Regions, Alaska, 1910-2010. USGS Data Series 568. doi:10.3133/ds568

DataID: 269 | doi:10.5066/P9RPHH50 | Date Posted Online: 2010-01-27 | Last Updated: 2020-01-27 16:01:11

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