Arctic ambient noise statistics at the edge of the Canada Basin

Abstract

Knowledge of ambient noise is important for the design and operation of acoustic observation and communication systems. Several concurrent year-long acoustic datasets from the Canada Basin Acoustic Propagation Experiment (CANAPE) were collected in 2016–2017. Selected data were analyzed to investigate soundscape temporal and spatial characteristics in an area on the western slope of the Chukchi shelf and Canada Basin, north of Barrow Alaska. From October 2016 to October 2017, four 8-element vertical arrays were deployed in water depths between 100 and 300 m. Each array recorded at approximately 15% duty cycle at several sample rates between 4000 Hz and 64000 Hz and at 24-bit resolution. One-minute, 10-second, and 1-second root-mean-square sound pressure levels were computed to generate ambient noise statistics and summarized in empirical probability density functions (PDF) for various bands. Fit functions for ambient noise were determined for each empirical PDF. Impulse detection was used to investigate potential correlation of ice cracking with ambient noise. A multivariate correlation of ambient noise levels was performed with several environmental parameter covariates, including ice cover, wind speed, and air temperature. These correlations may form the basis for predictive models for ambient noise modeling in the arctic.