Marine Wildlife Behavior Database
Metadata

Section 7: Diving Speed
This section includes fields that describe the actual speed in relation to the direction of travel, as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of an animal (Ponganis et al., 1990).

Fields:

• Minimum Surfacing Speed
  DS_MinSurfacingSpeed(m/s): The minimum ascent speed in relation to the surfacing angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s)(meters/second).
  
  
• Maximum Surfacing Speed
  DS_MaxSurfacingSpeed(m/s): The maximum ascent speed in relation to the surfacing angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s) (meters/second).
  
  
• Mean Surfacing Speed
  DS_MeanSurfacingSpeed(m/s): The mean or average ascent speed in relation to the surfacing angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s)(meters/second).
  
  
• Median Surfacing Speed
  DS_MedianSurfacingSpeed(m/s): The middle value in the distribution of the surfacing speed (meters/second). If there is an even number of surfacing speed values, it is the average of the two middle values.
  
  
• Mode Surfacing Speed
  DS_ModeSurfacingSpeed(m/s): The most common surfacing speed value; in the frequency distribution, the surfacing speed with the greatest number of frequencies (meters/second).
  
  
• Surfacing Gamma Distribution Alpha
  DS_SurfacingGammaDistAlpha: The shape parameter of the gamma distribution of surfacing speeds, determined by submitting data and fitting the raw data in a statistical package.
  
  
• Surfacing Gamma Distribution Beta
  DS_SurfacingGammaDistBeta: The rate parameter, equal to 1/Θ (the scale parameter), of the gamma distribution of surfacing speeds, determined by submitting data and fitting the raw data in a statistical package.
  
  
• Surfacing Speed Standard Deviation
  DS_SurfacingSpeedStdDev: To express the degree of dispersion in the surfacing speed data, the standard deviation (square root of the variance) should be entered (meters/second).
  
  
• Minimum Dive Speed
  DS_MinDiveSpeed(m/s): The minimum descent speed in relation to the diving angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s)(meters/second).
  
  
• Maximum Dive Speed
  DS_MaxDiveSpeed(m/s): The maximum descent speed in relation to the diving angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s) (meters/second).
  
  
• Mean Dive Speed
  DS_MeanDiveSpeed(m/s): The mean or average descent speed in relation to the diving angle as would be measured with a velocity meter on the back of the animal(s) (meters/second).
  
  
• Median Dive Speed
  DS_MedianDiveSpeed(m/s): The middle value in the distribution of the descent speed (meters/second). If there is an even number of descent speed values, it is the average of the two middle values.
  
  
• Mode Dive Speed
  DS_ModeDiveSpeed(m/s): The most common descent speed value; in the frequency distribution, the descent speed with the greatest number of frequencies (meters/second).
  
  
• Diving Gamma Distribution Alpha
  DS_DivingGammaDistAlpha: The shape parameter of the gamma distribution of descent speeds, determined by submitting data and fitting the raw data in a statistical package.
  
  
• Diving Gamma Distribution Beta
  DS_DivingGammaDistBeta: The rate parameter, equal to 1/Θ (the scale parameter), of the gamma distribution of descent speeds, determined by submitting data and fitting the raw data in a statistical package.
  
  
• Dive Speed Standard Deviation
  DS_DiveSpeedStdDev: To express the degree of dispersion in the descent speed data, the standard deviation (square root of the variance) should be entered (meters/second).
  
  
• Comments
  DS_Comments: Free-form field to note complications with data entry, information to review at a later date, etc.