Micro-habitat description of sea turtle nests on three public nesting beaches in LaFlor (Pacific) southeast Nicaragua, and Pacuare Reserve and Tortuguero (Caribbean) Costa Rica during July 2013

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Stephanie Duenas and Falk Huettmann

Publication_Date: 20130731

Title:

Micro-habitat description of sea turtle nests on three public nesting beaches in LaFlor (Pacific) southeast Nicaragua, and Pacuare Reserve and Tortuguero (Caribbean) Costa Rica during July 2013

Series_Information:

Series_Name: 1

Issue_Identification: 1

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: University of Alaska-Fairbanks

Publisher: Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Other_Citation_Details: NA

Online_Linkage: Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:

Description:

Abstract:

Descriptions of the micro habitat of sea turtle nests were recorded on three public beaches: La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418, Pacific) in southwest Nicaragua, and Pacuar Reserve (latitude10.20123 longitude 83.25925), and Tourtuguero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520) at the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Species covered are the Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840), Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843), and presumably Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666) and the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833). After a nest was identified during night and the turtle left successfully, next day the following micro-habitat attributes were collected with dates: distance from waterline, distance from treeline, slope of beach, nearest known nest, and tree height. The presence of egg shells, tree canopy cover, vegatation type, occurence of plastic and driftwood were also recorded, as well as a description of the sand. Geo-referencing of nests was done with a GPS using decimal latitude and longitude (geographic datum of WGS84). This dataset consists of an MS Excel sheet and is <1MB in size. Some photos are also provided for visual purposes.

Purpose:

To describe the geo-referenced micro-habitat features of sea turtle nests found on three public beaches of Pacific Nicaragua and Caribbean Costa Rica.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Multiple_Dates/Times:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 20130711

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 20130712

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 20130718

Currentness_Reference: publication date

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 85.80051

East_Bounding_Coordinate: 83.25925

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 11.15382

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 10.20123

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

La Flor: narrow beach on 1.5km length with one curved end and a forest reserve, located in southwest Nicaragua, Pacific. Playa Vigilada is a straight beach of 6km length with a tropical rain forest in the Pacuare Reserve located on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Tortuguero is a sand beach at the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: turtle nesting

Theme_Keyword: micro habitat description

Theme_Keyword: Nicaragua

Theme_Keyword: Costa Rica

Theme_Keyword: Central America

Theme_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Theme_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Theme_Keyword: Ecology

Theme_Keyword: La Flor

Theme_Keyword: Pacuare Reserve

Theme_Keyword: Tortuguero

Theme_Keyword: Olive Ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840)

Theme_Keyword: Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843)

Theme_Keyword: Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666)

Theme_Keyword: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833)

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park Service Theme Category Thesaurus

Theme_Keyword: turtle nesting

Theme_Keyword: micro habitat description

Theme_Keyword: Nicaragua

Theme_Keyword: Costa Rica

Theme_Keyword: Central America

Theme_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Theme_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Theme_Keyword: Ecology

Theme_Keyword: La Flor

Theme_Keyword: Pacuare Reserve

Theme_Keyword: Tortuguero

Theme_Keyword: Olive Ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840)

Theme_Keyword: Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843)

Theme_Keyword: Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666)

Theme_Keyword: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833)

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Theme_Keyword: turtle nesting

Theme_Keyword: micro habitat description

Theme_Keyword: Nicaragua

Theme_Keyword: Costa Rica

Theme_Keyword: Central America

Theme_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Theme_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Theme_Keyword: Ecology

Theme_Keyword: La Flor

Theme_Keyword: Pacuare Reserve

Theme_Keyword: Tortuguero

Theme_Keyword: Olive Ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840)

Theme_Keyword: Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843)

Theme_Keyword: Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666)

Theme_Keyword: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833)

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Place_Keyword: Nicaragua

Place_Keyword: Costa Rica

Place_Keyword: Central America

Place_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Place_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Place_Keyword: Pacific

Place_Keyword: La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418)

Place_Keyword: Pacuar Reserve (latitude10.20123 longitude 83.25925)

Place_Keyword: Tortuguero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520)

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Name Thesaurus

Place_Keyword: Nicaragua

Place_Keyword: Costa Rica

Place_Keyword: Central America

Place_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Place_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Place_Keyword: Pacific

Place_Keyword: La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418)

Place_Keyword: Pacuar Reserve (latitude10.20123 longitude 83.25925)

Place_Keyword: Tortuguero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520)

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Code Thesaurus

Place_Keyword: Nicaragua

Place_Keyword: Costa Rica

Place_Keyword: Central America

Place_Keyword: Pacific Ocean

Place_Keyword: Caribbean Sea

Place_Keyword: Pacific

Place_Keyword: La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418)

Place_Keyword: Pacuar Reserve (latitude10.20123 longitude 83.25925)

Place_Keyword: Tortuguero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520)

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints: None

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: see authors

Browse_Graphic:

Browse_Graphic_File_Name: photos exist

Browse_Graphic_File_Description: opportunistic photos

Browse_Graphic_File_Type: JPEG

Cross_Reference:

Citation_Information:

Originator: James R. Spotila

Publication_Date: 2004

Title:

Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation

Edition: 1

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book chapter

Taxonomy:

Keywords/Taxon:

Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Taxonomic_Keywords: reptiles

Taxonomic_Keywords: vegetation

Taxonomic_Keywords: Olive Ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840)

Taxonomic_Keywords: Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843)

Taxonomic_Keywords: Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666)

Taxonomic_Keywords: Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833)

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Kingdom

Taxon_Rank_Value: Animalia

Applicable_Common_Name: Animal

Applicable_Common_Name: animaux

Applicable_Common_Name: animals

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Phylum

Taxon_Rank_Value: Chordata

Applicable_Common_Name: cordés

Applicable_Common_Name: cordado

Applicable_Common_Name: chordates

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Subphylum

Taxon_Rank_Value: Vertebrata

Applicable_Common_Name: vertebrado

Applicable_Common_Name: vertébrés

Applicable_Common_Name: vertebrates

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Class

Taxon_Rank_Value: Reptilia

Applicable_Common_Name: répteis

Applicable_Common_Name: reptiles

Applicable_Common_Name: Reptiles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Order

Taxon_Rank_Value: Testudines

Applicable_Common_Name: terrapins

Applicable_Common_Name: tortoises

Applicable_Common_Name: tortues

Applicable_Common_Name: Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Family

Taxon_Rank_Value: Cheloniidae

Applicable_Common_Name: marine turtles

Applicable_Common_Name: modern sea turtles

Applicable_Common_Name: Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus

Taxon_Rank_Value: Chelonia

Applicable_Common_Name: Green Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Chelonia mydas

Applicable_Common_Name: Green Sea Turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: Tortuga-marina verde-del Atlántico

Applicable_Common_Name: common green sea turtle

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus

Taxon_Rank_Value: Eretmochelys

Applicable_Common_Name: Hawksbill Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Eretmochelys imbricata

Applicable_Common_Name: hawksbill sea turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: carey

Applicable_Common_Name: Hawksbill

Applicable_Common_Name: Tortuga-marina de carey

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus

Taxon_Rank_Value: Lepidochelys

Applicable_Common_Name: Ridley Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Lepidochelys olivacea

Applicable_Common_Name: olive ridley sea turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: Pacific ridley

Applicable_Common_Name: Pacific ridley sea turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: Olive Ridley

Applicable_Common_Name: Tortuga-marina escamosa-del Pacífico

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Family

Taxon_Rank_Value: Dermochelyidae

Applicable_Common_Name: leatherback turtles

Applicable_Common_Name: Leatherback Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus

Taxon_Rank_Value: Dermochelys

Applicable_Common_Name: Leatherback Sea Turtles

Taxonomic_Classification:

Taxon_Rank_Name: Species

Taxon_Rank_Value: Dermochelys coriacea

Applicable_Common_Name: leatherback sea turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: leatherback turtle

Applicable_Common_Name: Leatherback

Applicable_Common_Name: Tortuga-marina laúd

Applicable_Common_Name: tinglar

Applicable_Common_Name: tortue luth

Data_Set_Credit: Madera's Rainforest Conservancy, Sea Turtle Class

Security_Information:

Security_Classification_System: NA

Security_Classification: Unclassified

Security_Handling_Description: NA

Native_Data_Set_Environment: Field Note book, PC laptop

Analytical_Tool:

Analytical_Tool_Description: Sea turtle nest micro habitat description

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

These data are opportunistically collected and part of a se aturtle class with Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Logical_Consistency_Report: Complete; opportunistic data

Completeness_Report: Complete

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: GPS was used, app. +- 10m

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: Field

Methodology_Description:

Descriptions of the micro habitat of sea turtle nests were recorded on three public beaches: La Flor (latitude 11.14282, longitude 85.79418, Pacific) in southwest Nicaragua, and Pacuar Reserve (latitude10.20123 longitude 83.25925), and Tourtuguero (latitude 10.59583, longitude 83.52520) at the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Species covered are the Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, TSN 173840), Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea TSN 173843), and presumably Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata TSN 208666) and the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas TSN 173833). After a nest was identified during night and the turtle left successfully, next day the following micro-habitat attributes were collected for the species seen, or presumed (if not seen during night but tracks on beaches found): distance from waterline, distance from treeline, slope of beach, nearest known nest, and tree height. The presence of egg shells, tree canopy cover, vegatation type, occurence of plastic and driftwood were also recorded, as well as a description of the sand. Geo-referencing of nests was done with a GPS using decimal latitude and longitude (geographic datum of WGS84). This dataset consists of an MS Excel sheet and is <1MB in size. Some photos are also provided for visual purposes.

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Unknown

Publication_Date: Unknown

Title:

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:

Type_of_Source_Media: paper

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: Unknown

Ending_Date: Unknown

Source_Currentness_Reference: observed

Source_Contribution: Falk Huettmann, sea turtle class supervisor

Process_Step:

Process_Description: No process steps have been described for this data set

Process_Date: Unknown

Process_Step:

Process_Description: Data were transfered from field notebook/camera to PC.

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 0.001

Longitude_Resolution: 0.001

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: Micro sea turtle nest habitat descriptions

Entity_Type_Definition: micro descriptions of sea turtle nesting habitats

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Month

Attribute_Definition: month of the year

Attribute_Definition_Source: calendar

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Day

Attribute_Definition: day of the month

Attribute_Definition_Source: calendar

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Year

Attribute_Definition: year data was collected

Attribute_Definition_Source: Calendar

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: latitude

Attribute_Definition: decimal latitude of nest location, WGS84

Attribute_Definition_Source: GPS

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: longitude

Attribute_Definition: decimal longitude of nest location, WGS84

Attribute_Definition_Source: GPS

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Distance to waterline m

Attribute_Definition: distance to waterline from the nest in meters

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Distance to tree line m

Attribute_Definition: distance from the nest to tree line in meters

Attribute_Definition_Source: observers

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sand grain description

Attribute_Definition: sand grain description, uniform or varying

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Broken shell pieces present

Attribute_Definition: yes or no if broken shell pieces are present in the sand

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Eggshell presents

Attribute_Definition: yes or no if past turtle egg shells are present in the nest

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Tree height m

Attribute_Definition: estimation of tree height in meters

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Canopy overhang

Attribute_Definition: yes or no if there is a canopy overhang from trees

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: elevated/flat/depressed

Attribute_Definition:

note if the nest is on ground that is elevated, flat, or depressed

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Bank

Attribute_Definition: presents of bank

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Bank Height m

Attribute_Definition: height of bank in meters if present

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Ground Vegetation

Attribute_Definition: presents of ground vegetation

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Distance to Slope m

Attribute_Definition: distance from the nest to slope

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Plastic

Attribute_Definition: presents of plastic in nesting area

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Driftwood

Attribute_Definition: presents of driftwood around nesting area

Attribute_Definition_Source: observer

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Stephanie Duenas and Falk Huettmann

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: 419 Irving I

City: Fairbanks

State_or_Province: Alaska

Postal_Code: 99775

Country: USA

Distribution_Liability: none

Standard_Order_Process:

Fees: None

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20130721

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Stephanie Duenas and Falk Huettmann

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical

Address: 419 Irving I

City: Fairbanks

State_or_Province: Alaska

Postal_Code: 99775

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 907 474 7882

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: fhuettmann@alaska.edu

Contact_Instructions: by phone, in person, or email

Metadata_Standard_Name:

FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://nrdata.nps.gov/profiles/NPS_Profile.xml>

Profile_Name: NPS NR and GIS Metadata Profile

Metadata_Access_Constraints: None

Metadata_Use_Constraints: None, contact authors for information

Metadata_Security_Information:

Metadata_Security_Classification_System: None

Metadata_Security_Classification: Unclassified

Metadata_Security_Handling_Description: None