Summary

Description

Marine mammal specimen, CTD, and other data were collected in the Gulf of Alaska and other locations from the ACONA and other platforms from 22 March 1978 to 28 July 1979. Data were collected by the Alaska State Department of Fish and Game and other agencies as part of the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP). Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard F025 Marine Mammal Specimens and the F022 High-Resolution CTD/STD Output formats. Full format descriptions are available from NODC at www.nodc.noaa.gov/. An analog file for this accession is available from NODC user services. The F025 format is designed to support studies of biological populations and ecosystems that are subject to impact from oil and gas development, marine pollution and other environmental disturbances. Information on marine animal populations, activities, migratory routes and breeding locales are obtained from either surface ship or aircraft surveys. The format contains data from examinations of marine mammal specimens. The data are collected to define behavior, population dynamics and trophic relationships of marine mammals. In addition to species, position, time and environmental conditions at the collection site, data for each specimen may include weight and body dimensions, sex and reproductive status, age, primary cause of death and analysis of stomach contents. The species of both the specimen and its ingested prey are encoded using the NODC Taxonomic Code. Comments may be reported in a free-text record. The F022 format contains high-resolution data collected using CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) and STD (salinity-temperature-depth) instruments. As they are lowered and raised in the oceans, these electronic devices provide nearly continuous profiles of temperature, salinity, and other parameters. Data values may be subject to averaging or filtering or obtained by interpolation and may be reported at depth intervals as fine as 1m. Cruise and instrument information, position, date, time and sampling interval are reported for each station. Environmental data at the time of the cast (meteorological and sea surface conditions) may also be reported. The data record comprises values of temperature, salinity or conductivity, density (computed sigma-t), and possibly dissolved oxygen or transmissivity at specified depth or pressure levels. Data may be reported at either equally or unequally spaced depth or pressure intervals. A text record is available for comments.