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Data Package Summary    View Full Metadata

  • Journey North - Gray Whale observations by volunteer community scientists across the Eastern Pacific Ocean (1997-2020)
  • Sheehan, Nancy; Program Coordinator; University of Wisconsin - Madison Arboretum, Journey North Program
    Abarca, Maricela; Data Manager (EDI Fellow); University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • 2022-07-22
  • Sheehan, N. and M. Abarca. 2022. Journey North - Gray Whale observations by volunteer community scientists across the Eastern Pacific Ocean (1997-2020) ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/DOI_PLACE_HOLDER (Accessed 2024-12-27).

  • This data package contains Gray Whale migration data consisting of 1,546 total observational reports from 1997 - 2020 across the Eastern Pacific Ocean. These data were collected by 163 community scientists for Journey North, a crowdsourced participatory science program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The Journey North Gray Whale Project is a study of Gray Whale phenology conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. Since 1997, community scientists have tracked the migration of Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) through the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Observers also provide estimates of the number of whales sighted. However, observers do not follow standardized methods for counting species observed. Observers do not observe at set times of the day, do not repeat observations regularly, and are not required to provide the length of time during which a specified number of species observed were counted. Therefore, it is recommended that this dataset be analyzed to indicate presence not abundance. Researchers are encouraged to read the rich information provided by volunteers in their comments. These comments provide qualitative information about observational reports. Researchers are also encouraged to refer to submitted photographs that also provide context for observational reports. The Journey North Gray Whale Project dataset is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Shared Web Hosting Service.

  • N: 61.217      S: 22.89      E: -109.65      W: -164.921
  • edi.1173.1  (Uploaded 2022-07-22)  
  • View Full Metadata (30 views)
  • View Quality Report
  • Data Entities:
    1. UWMadisonArb_JNorth_Project_Whales_1997-2020  (647.5 KiB; 4 downloads) 
    2. UW-MadisonArb.JourneyNorthProgram_Project_Initial-Subset-Cleaning  (25.0 KiB; 4 downloads) 
    3. dataPrepProcess_whales_OpenRefine  (109.2 KiB; 4 downloads) 
    4. UW-MadisonArboretum.JourneyNorthProgram_finalEDICleaning  (25.8 KiB; 5 downloads) 
  • This information is released under the Creative Commons license - Attribution - CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) is required to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. Thank you.
  • DOI PLACE HOLDER
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