Satellite tracking of ringed seals
We monitored movements and haul-out patterns of four ringed seals Phoca hispida, off Northwest Greenland between 5 June and 31 October 1988 using the Argos Data Collection and Location System. When the seals were hauled out on fast ice their locations were accurately determined, but when they were at sea, few accurate locations were obtained, evidently because these seals spent little time at the surface between dives. The seals remained within the fjord where they were tagged, and hauled out often to early July. Thereafter, as fast-ice disappeared, they dispersed widely and spent less time hauled out. Time of day had no significant effect on haul-out patterns. Haul-out periods declined significantly from June to August and increased in September-October.