Contents 



Page 



Abstract 1 



Overview of Argos 2 



Performance in Gathering Wildlife Data 7 



Reliability 7 



Efficiency 9 



Precision and Accuracy of Locations 12 



Long-term Activity Index 21 



Short-term Activity Index 21 



Temperature Sensor 27 



Saltwater Sensor 28 



Argos's Location Class Zero (LCO) Service 29 



Local User Terminals (LUT's) 30 



Overview and System Description 30 



Performance 31 



Cost Comparison 32 



Field Studies 32 



Caribou: Northern Alaska and Yukon 32 



Polar Bear: Beaufort Sea 32 



Polar Bear: Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea 34 



Muskox: Arctic Slope 34 



Muskox: Greenland 34 



Brown Bear: Western Brooks Range 35 



Brown Bear: Kodiak Island 35 



Dall Sheep: Brooks Range 36 



Elk: Yellowstone National Park 39 



Mule Deer: Southeastern Idaho 39 



Moose: South-central Alaska 40 



Wolf: Northwestern Alaska 40 



Walrus: Bristol Bay, Alaska 42 



Application and Sampling Considerations 43 



Data Processing 43 



Sampling Concerns 44 



Cost Comparisons 46 



Directions for Future Research 47 



Summary and Conclusions 49 



Acknowledgments 50 



References 50 



Glossary 52 



