Satellite transmitter and Global Positioning System (GPS) data from wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding at Bird Island, 1990-2022
GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02243
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Summary
Abstract:
This dataset captures locations from satellite transmitters (platform terminal transmitters; PTTs) and high resolution GPS loggers deployed on wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on Bird Island, South Georgia from 1990 to 2022. GPS loggers were set to obtain fixes at intervals of 1 to 60 minutes. The file is stored in .csv format.
This work was funded as part of the Bird Island Long-term Monitoring Programme at BAS, and by Darwin Plus (DPLUS092).
Keywords:
Bird Island, Diomedea exulans, GPS, PTT, movement, wandering albatross
Citation
Phillips, R.A., Carneiro, A.P.B., Catry, P., Froy, H., Xavier, J.C., Wood, A.G., & Thorne, L. (2026). Satellite transmitter and Global Positioning System (GPS) data from wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding at Bird Island, 1990-2022 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/1a916a0a-adcd-4565-9de9-b535000fd6f8
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REFERENCE MATERIALS
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.480
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.906
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1049-0
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1946-1
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2050-2
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3316-0
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03841-y
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03146-4
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.03.020
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109796
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109994
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.018
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02360
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.08.024
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103334
- https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525629.006
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102092000075
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102096000326
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2126-y
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0406-x
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13267
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13407
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13568
- https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12245
- https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12768
- https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70126
- https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13041
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2419.2004.00298.x
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0906-7590.04525.x
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd7225
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0121-9
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00614-w
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116415
- https://doi.org/10.1890/07-2111.1
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08028
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps340271
RELATED DATA SET METADATA
- https://doi.org/10.5285/1510b98d-2807-4d48-9156-43136ce8a3c3
- https://doi.org/10.5285/249ce261-284c-4e26-bcab-1a57cee7de5e
- https://doi.org/10.5285/3bcd59f9-1068-4474-bca9-c8ca9fe0caed
- https://doi.org/10.5285/8e303c28-c96a-49e7-951d-2d69c0b6f032
- https://doi.org/10.5285/eed61447-bcca-4f7a-bdc3-533b76092b5e
SOFTWARE PACKAGES
Constraints
| Access Constraints: | This dataset is under embargo until the publication of the relevant manuscript. |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is governed by the NERC data policy http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/ and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/. |
Basic Information
| Creation Date: | 2026-07-09 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK Polar Data Centre |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Prof Richard A Phillips |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Dr Ana P B Carneiro |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | BirdLife International |
| Name | Dr Paulo Catry |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), ISPA - Instituto Universitario |
| Name | Dr Hannah Froy |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Edinburgh University |
| Name | Dr Jose C Xavier |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Name | Dr Andrew G Wood |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Prof Lesley Thorne |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Stony Brook University |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
Additional Information
| Reference: | These data were used in the following manuscript: Gillies, N., Phillips, R. A., Weimerskirch, H., Potts, J. R., Réale, D., Wilson, A. J., Angelier, F., Barbraud, C., Bennison, A., Delord, K., Lemesle, P., Peroteau, S., Wood, A. G., Xavier, J. C., Patrick, S. C. (2026) Contrasting associations between parental coordination and breeding success in albatrosses across differing environmental contexts. (in prep.) For deployment and other details, see previous papers that included part or all of these data as follows: Maywar, I.J., Phillips, R.A., Orben, R.A., Conners, M. G., Shaffer, S.A. and Thorne, L. (2026) Differential impacts of wind and waves on albatross energetics in two ocean basins. Movement Ecology 14, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00614-w Warwick-Evans, V., Pearmain, E.J., Thorne, L.H. and Phillips, R.A. (2025) Spatial segregation and bycatch risk as potential drivers of population trends of wandering albatrosses at South Georgia. Conservation Biology 2025, 40, e70126. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70126 Wakefield, E.D., McClymont, E.L., Carneiro, A.P.B., Croxall, J.P., González-Solís, J., Granroth-Wilding, H.M.V., Thorne, L., Warwick-Evans, V., Wood, A.G., Xavier, J.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2025) Seasonal resource tracking and use of sea-ice foraging habitats by albatrosses and large petrels. Progress in Oceanography 230, 103334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2024.103334 Darby, J., Phillips, R.A., Weimerskirch, H., Xavier, J.C., Pereira, J.M., Wakefield, E.D. and Patrick, S. (2024) Strong winds reduce foraging success in albatrosses. Current Biology 34, P5615-5621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.018 O'Neil, E.K., Frankish, C.K. and Phillips, R.A. (2023) Rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels at South Georgia. Polar Biology 46, 597-610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03146-4 Beal, M. et al. (2023) Quantifying annual spatial consistency in breeding seabirds to inform important site identification. Biological Conservation 281, 109994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109994 Lemos, C.A., Hernández C., M., Vilardo, C., Phillips, R.A., Bugoni, L. and Sousa-Pinto, I. (2023) Ecological assessment of proposed areas for offshore wind farms off southern Brazil based on ecological niche modelling and a species richness index for albatrosses and petrels. Global Ecology and Conservation 41, e02360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02360 Carneiro, A.P.B., Pearmain, E.J., Clavelle, T., Wood, A.G. and Phillips, R.A. (2022) Fine-scale associations between wandering albatrosses and fisheries in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. Biological Conservation 276, 109796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109796 Carneiro, A.P.B., Dias, M.P., Oppel, S., Pearmain, E.J., Clark, B.L., Wood, A.G., Clavelle, T. and Phillips, R.A. (2022) Integrating immersion with GPS data improves behavioural classification for wandering albatrosses and shows scavenging behind fishing vessels mirrors natural foraging. Animal Conservation 25, 627-637. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12768 Beal, M. et al. (2021) Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels. Science Advances 7, eabd7225. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd7225 Bentley, L.K., Kato, A., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Manica, A. and Phillips, R.A. (2021) Diving behaviour of albatrosses: implications for foraging ecology and bycatch susceptibility. Marine Biology 168, 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03841-y Clay, T.A., Joo, R., Weimerskirch, H., Phillips, R.A., den Ouden, O., Basille, M., Clusella-Trullas,S., Assink, J.D. and Patrick, S. (2020) Sex-specific effects of wind on the flight decisions of a sexually dimorphic soaring bird. Journal of Animal Ecology 89, 1811-1823 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13267 Handley, J., Pearmain, E.J., Oppel, S., Carneiro, A., Hazin, C., Phillips, R.A, Ratcliffe, N., Staniland, I.J., Clay, T., Hall, J., Scheffer, A., Fedak, M., Boehme, L., Pütz, K., Belchier, M., Boyd, I., Trathan, P.N. and Dias, M. (2020) Evaluating the effectiveness of a large multi-use MPA in protecting Key Biodiversity Areas for marine predators. Diversity and Distributions 26, 715-729. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13041 Hindell, M.A. et al. (2020) Tracking of marine predators to protect Southern Ocean ecosystems. Nature 580, 87-92. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2126-y Ropert-Coudert, Y. et al. (2020) The retrospective analysis of Antarctic tracking data project. Scientific Data 7, 94. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0406-x Carneiro, A.P.B., Pearmain, E.J., Oppel, S., Clay, T.A., Phillips, R.A. et al. (2020) A framework for mapping the distribution of Southern Ocean seabirds across life-history stages, by integrating tracking, demography and phenology. Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 514-525. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13568 Clay, T.C., Small, C., Tuck, G.N., Pardo, D., Carneiro, A.P.B., Wood, A.G., Croxall, J.P., Crossin, G.T. and Phillips, R.A. (2019) A comprehensive large-scale assessment of fisheries bycatch risk to threatened seabird populations. Journal of Applied Ecology 56, 1882-1893. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13407 Oppel, S., Bolton, M., Carneiro, A.P.B., Dias, M.P., Green, J.A., Masello, J.F., Phillips, R.A. et al. (2018) Spatial scales of marine conservation management for breeding seabirds. Marine Policy 98, 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.08.024 Richardson, P.L., Wakefield, E.D. and Phillips, R.A. (2018) Flight speed and performance of the wandering albatross with respect to wind. Movement Ecology 6, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0121-9 Pereira, J.M., Paiva, V.H., Phillips, R.A. and Xavier, J.C. (2018) The devil is in the detail: small-scale sexual segregation despite large-scale spatial overlap in the wandering albatross. Marine Biology 165, 55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3316-0 Jiménez, S., Domingo, A., Brazeiro, A., Defeo, O., Wood, A.G., Froy, H., Xavier, J.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2016) Sex-related variation in the vulnerability of wandering albatrosses to pelagic longline fleets. Animal Conservation 19, 281-295. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12245 Tancell, C., Sutherland, W.J and Phillips, R.A. (2016) Marine spatial planning for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels breeding at South Georgia. Biological Conservation 198, 165-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.03.020 Froy, H., Lewis, S., Catry, P., Bishop, C.M., Forster, I.P., Fukuda, A., Higuchi, H., Phalan, B., Xavier, J.C., Nussey, D.H. and Phillips, R.A. (2015) Age-related variation in foraging behaviour in the wandering albatross at South Georgia: no evidence for senescence. PLoS ONE 10, e0116415. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116415 Tancell, C., Phillips, R.A., Xavier, J.C., Tarling, G.A. and Sutherland, W.J. (2013) Comparison of methods for determining key marine areas from tracking data. Marine Biology 160, 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2050-2 Ceia, F.R., Phillips, R.A., Ramos, J.A., Cherel, Y., Vieira, R.P., Richard, P. and Xavier, J.C. (2012) Short- and long-term consistency in the foraging niche of wandering albatrosses. Marine Biology 159, 1581-1591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1946-1 Phillips, R.A., Wakefield, E.D., Croxall, J.P., Fukuda, A. and Higuchi, H. (2009) Albatross foraging behaviour: no evidence for dual foraging, and limited support for anticipatory regulation of provisioning at South Georgia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 391, 279-292. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08028 Wakefield, E.D., Phillips, R.A., Matthiopoulos, J., Fukuda, A., Higuchi, H., Marshall, G.J. and Trathan, P.N. (2009). Wind field and sex constrain flight speeds of central-place foraging albatrosses. Ecological Monographs 79, 663-679. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-2111.1 Phillips, R.A., Croxall, J.P., Silk, J.R.D. and Briggs, D.R. (2008) Foraging ecology of albatrosses and petrels from South Georgia: two decades of insights from tracking technologies. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17, S6-S21. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.906 Phalan, B, Phillips, R.A., Silk, J.R.D., Afanasyev, V., Fukuda, A., Fox, J., Catry, P., Higuchi, H. and Croxall, J.P. (2007) Foraging behaviour of four albatross species by night and day. Marine Ecology Progress Series 340, 271-286. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps340271 Xavier, J. C., G. A. Tarling, and J. P. Croxall. 2006. Determining prey distribution patterns from stomach-contents of satellite-tracked high-predators of the Southern Ocean. Ecography 29:260-272. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0906-7590.04525.x Xavier, J. C., and J. P. Croxall. 2005. Sexual differences in foraging behaviour and diets: a case study of wandering albatrosses. Pages 74-91 in K. E. Ruckstuhl and P. Neuhaus, editors. Sexual segregation in vertebrates: ecology of the two sexes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525629.006 Xavier, J. C., P. N. Trathan, J. P. Croxall, A. G. Wood, G. Podesta, and P. G. Rodhouse. 2004. Foraging ecology and interactions with fisheries of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding at South Georgia. Fisheries Oceanography 13:324-344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2419.2004.00298.x Xavier, J. C., J. P. Croxall, P. N. Trathan, and A. G. Wood. 2003. Feeding strategies and diets of breeding grey-headed and wandering albatrosses at South Georgia. Marine Biology 143:221-232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1049-0 Croxall, J. P., and A. G. Wood. 2002. The importance of the Patagonian Shelf for top predator species breeding at South Georgia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 12:101-118. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.480 Arnould, J. P. Y., D. R. Briggs, J. P. Croxall, P. A. Prince, and A. G. Wood. 1996. The foraging behaviour and energetics of wandering albatrosses brooding chicks. Antarctic Science 8:229-236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102096000326 Prince, P. A., A. G. Wood, T. Barton, and J. P. Croxall. 1992. Satellite tracking of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) in the South Atlantic. Antarctic Science 4:31-36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102092000075 Scripts used to process the data for use in this manuscript can be found on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19090542 |
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| Quality: | ||
| Lineage/Methodology: | Data were collected during the breeding period between August 1990 and March 2022. All tracked birds were part of long-term studies and were fitted with a metal ring and a plastic ring with a unique alphanumeric code for individual identification. Birds were equipped with a satellite transmitter (T2038 (Toyocom, Japan), PTT-100 (Microwave Telemetry, USA) or x (Mariner Radar, UK)), or a GPS logger (i-gotU GT-120 (MobileAction Technology, Taiwan), MiniGPSlog (earth & OceanTechnology, Germany) or MicroGPSlog (earth & OceanTechnology, Germany)). GPS loggers were set to obtain fixes at intervals of 1-60 minutes. Devices were attached to the mantle feathers of birds using marine Tesa® tape and were recovered when the bird had completed at least one foraging trip. Scripts used to process the data for use in this manuscript can be found on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19090542 |
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Locality
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 1990-08-25 |
| End Date | 2022-03-30 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -69.29401 |
| Northernmost | -24.322 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -179.716 |
| Easternmost | 179.972 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Data Resolution: | |
| Latitude Resolution | N/A |
| Longitude Resolution | N/A |
| Horizontal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Vertical Resolution | N/A |
| Vertical Resolution Range | N/A |
| Temporal Resolution | GPS fix at intervals of 1-60 s |
| Temporal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | South Georgia Island |
| Detailed Location | Bird Island |
Instrumentation
| Data Collection: | Satellite transmitters: T2038 (Toyocom, Japan) PTT-100 (Microwave Telemetry, USA) x (Mariner Radar, UK). GPS loggers: i-gotU GT-120 (MobileAction Technology, Taiwan) MiniGPSlog (earth & OceanTechnology, Germany) MicroGPSlog (earth & OceanTechnology, Germany). GPS data were combined into a single .csv file using R, version 4.3.1 (2023-06-16 ucrt). |
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Storage
| Distribution: | |
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| Distribution Media | Online Internet (HTTP) |
| Distribution Size | 19MB |
| Distribution Format | ASCII |
| Fees | N/A |
| Data Storage: | The dataset consists of 1x .csv file: bi_waal_sat_1990-2022.csv [19MB] |