| Title | The Beaufort Sea Beluga Habitat Program 2020 - a success story in a pandemic! |
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| Author | Gruben, C; Scharffenberg, K; MacPhee, S; Whalen, D ; Loseto, L |
| Source | Arctic Change 2020 Conference book of abstracts/Compilation de résumés pour la Conférence Arctic; by ArcticNet; Arctic Science vol. 7, no. 1, 2021 p. 101, https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0001  Open Access |
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| Year | 2021 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20200766 |
| Publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| Meeting | Arctic Change 2020 Conference; December 7-10, 2020 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Northwest Territories |
| Area | Beaufort Sea; Mackenzie Delta |
| Subjects | marine geology; environmental geology; geophysics; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; Transport; estuaries; geophysical surveys; acoustic surveys, marine; meteorology; oceanography;
turbidity currents; temperature; salinity; pollution; in-field instrumentation; Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area; Climate change; Mammals; Marine biology; Whales; Habitats; Community partnerships; monitoring |
| Program | Climate Change Geoscience Coastal Infrastructure |
| Released | 2021 03 15 |
| Abstract | The Beluga Habitat Program in the Mackenzie Estuary uses coastal observatories (seabed moorings with acoustic recorders and weather stations) to investigate the influence of environmental parameters on
beluga habitat use, assess underwater noise/vessel impacts, and monitor indicators of change (e.g., ocean waves, salinity, temperature, and turbidity). Each summer, scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Winnipeg, MB, and Natural Resources
Canada in Dartmouth, NS, join locally trained technicians from the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) and community members from Aklavik, Inuvik, and Tuktoyaktuk, NT, to deploy and recover scientific instruments. This on-going project is a key part of
the of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area monitoring program. The COVID-19 pandemic put the 2020 program at risk due to travel restrictions and social-distancing measures; however, co-management partners supported the continuation of the
project if it could be adapted to follow public health guidelines. In response, several videoconference meetings were held between all partners to create a plan for community-led implementation. The moorings were redesigned for easy deployment by
people of varying experience levels. Mooring components were shipped to ARI in Inuvik, where technical staff assembled them and programmed instruments with instruction via Zoom and printouts. The field component was supported by Joint Secretariat
staff and the Munaqsiyit Program, in partnership with the Aklavik and Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committees. A local outfitter was hired to provide research support services and coordinated closely with the project leads. Following several group
video-conferences, field teams were able to successfully deploy and recover the instruments in two separate locations, retrieving critical data needed to support long-term monitoring. The successful delivery of the 2020 field program is owed to the
cumulative involvement of Northerners in this project through the years and the adaptability of project partners. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Each summer, scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Winnipeg, MB, and Natural Resources Canada in Dartmouth, NS, join locally trained technicians
from the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) and community members from Aklavik, Inuvik, and Tuktoyaktuk, NT, to deploy and recover scientific instruments. This on-going project is a key part of the of the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area
monitoring program. The COVID-19 pandemic put the 2020 program at risk due to travel restrictions and social-distancing measures. Following several group videoconferences, field teams were able to successfully deploy and recover the instruments in
two separate locations, retrieving critical data needed to support long-term monitoring. The successful delivery of the 2020 field program is owed to the cumulative involvement of Northerners in this project through the years and the adaptability of
project partners |
| GEOSCAN ID | 328147 |
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