The Effects of Changing Sound Regimes in the Natural Environment on Marine Mammals in the Arctic: A Decision Support Tool

Marine Mammals depend on sound for survival, whether for communicating with each other or for hunting for food. Human produced (Anthropogenic) sound such as from shipping, military SONAR, coastal development and oil and gas exploration, development and extraction, can all interrupt and disturb marine mammals. As sea ice begins to melt sooner and for longer due to climate change, the Arctic has become more accessible and therefore become targeted by industry for development and expansion. Nunavut, and many other Polar Regions whose waters have remained relatively pristine until recently are all struggling with how to best manage this development and anthropogenic sound, to reduce the negative impacts on marine mammals. This project aims to produce a document that summarizes all relevant research comprehensively, and makes policy recommendations based off of a comparative policy analysis.

Faculty Supervisor:

Claudio Aporta

Student:

Helen McConnell

Partner:

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: