Satellite tracking methods and results
In 2009 a satellite transmitter was attached to a male turtle from the same study site and the
male was tracked via satellite for 81 days. The route was reconstructed using data of Argos
location classes 3, 2 and 1 (estimated errors of less than 1km). A standard filter was applied
to exclude locations inferring implausible speeds (>5 km h-1) and turning angles (<25o) (Witt
et al., 2010). Minimum speeds were calculated assuming straight line travel between
transmissions. From Alagadi beach the turtle travelled east along the north coast of Cyprus,
passing a smaller nesting rookery to another major nesting site. Although minimum speeds
averaged 1.5 km h-1 along the coast, there was a demonstrable slowing to 0.7 km h-1 at this
second major rookery. The turtle undertook his first pelagic crossing to reach the Turkish
coast where he spent 12 days travelling at low speeds (average 0.6 km h-1) within Mersin Bay
in proximity to (< 20 km) the nesting sites of Alata, Kazanlı and Akyatan, the latter being the
single most important rookery for the Mediterranean population of green turtles, in a pattern
consistent with mate searching behaviour. The turtle embarked on a second pelagic crossing
to reach Syria, then followed the Eastern Basin coastline to the Bay of Tinah, Egypt, where
he remained for a further 43 days of transmission at low speeds (minimum average 0.1 km h1
). The diversion to Turkey took a total of 19 days, adding 348 km to the journey, and
increased the total journey length by 44% when compared to a beeline route (taken from the
last location at the north eastern tip of Cyprus to the point at which the turtle met the Syrian
coast).
Supplementary References
Witt, MJ, Åkesson, S, Broderick, AC, Coyne, MS, Ellick, J, Formia, A, Hays, GC, Luschi, P,
Stroud, Stedson, Godley, BJ, 2010 Assessing accuracy and utility of satellite-tracking data
using Argos-linked Fastloc-GPS. Anim. Behav. 80, 571-581