UACE2017 Proceedings: Impacts of anthropogenic and environmental factors on the underwater soundscape in Fram Strait

• Session:
  Acoustics in polar environments
• Paper:
  Impacts of anthropogenic and environmental factors on the underwater soundscape in Fram Strait
• Author(s):
  Asuka Yamakawa, Hanne Sagen, Mohamed Babiker, Peter F. Worcester, Birgitte Furevik
• Abstract:
  It is expected that marine acoustic environment in the Arctic will be changed since there is increasing interest in the Arctic due to commercial uses e.g. natural resource development, transports and tourism. The objectives of this study are to understand variability of current noise components in Fram Strait and to define the noise baseline. This study is also important to assess future changes of the marine acoustic environment.\nYearlong time-series of passive acoustic data (25 - 500 Hz) were recorded by vertical acoustic arrays at two different locations (77°53N, 008°44E and 78°53N, 002°19’E) and depths in the central part of Fram Strait from Sep 2011 to July 2012. The recordings include not only sounds from natural physical processes and marine mammal vocalizations, but also various anthropogenic noises and mechanical noise. \nSeismic air-gun noise and mechanical noise are characterized by visual analyses because of their characteristic signal features. Differences of impacts of the seismic air-gun by locations and seasons and cause of the mechanical noise are discussed. \nSound components by natural physical factors are then extracted by filtering the impacts of the seismic air-gun and mechanical noises. Various natural physical factors, e.g. distance to the nearest ice edge, mean ocean temperature, wind speed and wave height from satellite remote sensing data, in-situ data and modelled data are obtained. In the study, significant physical factors are objectively selected by a statistical method to use them as explanatory variables for the natural noise variability. Impacts of the major environmental factors on the natural noise increases are clarified in each 5 Hz by a statistical approach as well as the noise baseline. The results at the two different locations and depths are compared and discussed.
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Contact details

• Contact person:
  Dr Asuka Yamakawa
• e-mail:
  
• Affiliation:
  Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center
• Country:
  Norway