The Arctic underwater soundscape today and as projected for 2030

Abstract

Canada, the United States, and the World Wildlife Fund are co-sponsoring ongoing work in the Arctic Council’s Protection for the Marine Environment Working Group to evaluate shipping noise in the Arctic region. Applied Ocean Sciences has used ship tracking and sea ice data to model the region’s underwater soundscape to improve understanding of radiated noise generated by shipping throughout the PanArctic. Current (2019) models have been compared with ambient noise measurements collected during time periods when vessel sounds were identifiably present and when biological sounds were not. Projections of ice cover and shipping routes along and between the northern borders of Arctic countries were used to forecast potential future (2030) Arctic soundscapes. Focused interpretation of these model results within sub-regions, time periods, and frequencies important to marine fauna and in turn to indigenous peoples will be provided to PAME and other fora seeking to guide the development of shipping practices and mitigation strategies. The final results will be incorporated as a PAME/Arctic Council product. This presentation will focus on the acoustic modeling work under projected sea ice conditions, maps of “excess noise” induced by ships in 2019 and 2030, and risk assessment for a few endemic marine mammal species.