| Title | The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic |
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| Author | Halliday, W D; Scharffenberg, K; Whalen, D ; MacPhee, S A; Loseto, L L; Insley, S J |
| Source | Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area; Arctic Science vol. 6, no. 4, 2020 p. 361-383, https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2019-0022  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2020 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20200674 |
| Publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Province | Northwest Territories |
| NTS | 107C/07; 107C/10 |
| Area | Mackenzie Delta; Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area; Kugmallit Bay; Hendrickson Island; Whitefish Station |
| Lat/Long WENS | -134.0000 -133.0000 69.7500 69.2500 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; marine geology; geophysics; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; Transport; estuaries; geophysical surveys; acoustic surveys, marine; statistical analyses; currents;
ecosystems; ecology; climate effects; sea ice; Delphinapterus leucas; beluga whales; Aquatic ecosystems; Habitats; Aquatic wildlife; Whales; environmental baseline studies; Navigation; Sound recordings; Wind; Climate change; monitoring; cumulative
effects |
| Illustrations | location maps; tables; time series; plots; spectra |
| Program | Climate Change Geoscience Coastal Infrastructure |
| Released | 2020 03 27 |
| Abstract | The soundscape is an important habitat component for marine animals. In the Arctic, marine conditions are changing rapidly due to sea ice loss and increased anthropogenic activities such as shipping,
which will influence the soundscape. Here, we assess the contributors to the summer soundscape in the shallow waters of the Mackenzie River estuary within the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area in the western Canadian Arctic, a core summering
habitat for beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776). We collected passive acoustic data during the summer over four years, and assessed the influence of physical variables, beluga whale vocalizations, and boat noise on sound pressure
levels in three frequency bands (low: 0.2-1 kHz; medium: 1-10 kHz; high: 10-48 kHz) to quantify the soundscape. Wind speed, wave height, beluga vocalizations, and boat noise were all large contributors to the soundscape in various frequency bands.
The soundscape varied to a lesser degree between sites, time of day, and with tide height, but remained relatively constant between years. This study is the first detailed description of a shallow summer soundscape in the western Canadian Arctic, an
important habitat for beluga whales, and can be used as a baseline to monitor future changes during this season. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Ocean background noise or soundscape is an important habitat component for marine animals. In the Arctic, marine conditions are changing rapidly due to
sea ice loss, increased storminess and increased anthropogenic activities such as shipping can influence the soundscape. This paper looks at the contributors to the summer soundscape in the shallow waters of the Mackenzie River estuary within the
Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area in the western Canadian Arctic, a core summering habitat for beluga whales. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 327958 |
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