Title
The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic
Author(s)
Halliday, W.D., Scharffenberg, K., Whalen, D., MacPhee, S.A., Loseto, L.L., Insley, S.J. 2020.
Published
2020
Publisher
Arctic Science
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.
Keywords
ambient sound levels; Delphinapterus leucas; passive acoustic monitoring; vocalizations
Full Citation
Halliday, W.D., Scharffenberg, K., Whalen, D., MacPhee, S.A., Loseto, L.L., Insley, S.J. 2020. The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic. Arctic Science.
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