Icebreaker Noise in Lancaster Sound, N.W.T., Canada: Implications for Marine Mammal Behavior

Cosens, Susan E.; Dueck, L.

doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1993.tb00456.x

Cited by 42 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(5 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Two different research teams and data from several years showed that beluga whales typically avoided icebreakers at distances of 35-50 km, at the point where they could probably just detect them. They travelled up to 80 km from the ship track and usually remained away for 1-2 days (Finley et al 1990;Cosens and Dueck 1993). Sperm whales that were approached most closely by an active seismic survey vessel did not make foraging dives.…”

Section: Displacement From Important Habitat and Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of anthropogenic ocean noise on cetaceans and implications for management

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ocean noise pollution is of special concern for cetaceans, as they are highly dependent on sound as their principal sense. Sound travels very efficiently underwater, so the potential area impacted can be thousands of square kilometres or more. The principal anthropogenic noise sources are underwater explosions (nuclear and otherwise), shipping, seismic exploration by mainly the oil and gas industries, and naval sonar operations. Strandings and mortalities of especially beaked whales (family Ziphiidae) have in many cases been conclusively linked to noise events such as naval maneuvers involving tactical sonars or seismic surveys, though other cetacean species may also be involved. The mechanisms behind this mortality are still unknown, but are most likely related to gas and fat emboli at least partially mediated by a behavioral response, such as a change in diving pattern. Estimated received sound levels in these events are typically not high enough to cause hearing damage, implying that the auditory system may not always be the best indicator for noise impacts. Beaked whales are found in small, possibly genetically isolated, local populations that are resident year-round. Thus, even transient and localized acoustic impacts can have prolonged and serious population consequences, as may have occurred following at least one stranding. Populations may also be threatened by noise through reactions such as increased stress levels, abandonment of important habitat, and “masking” or the obscuring of natural sounds. Documented changes in vocal behavior may lead to reductions in foraging efficiency or mating opportunities. Responses are highly variable between species, age classes, behavioral states, etc., making extrapolations problematic. Also, short-term responses may not be good proxies of long-term population-level impacts. There are many examples of apparent tolerance of noise by cetaceans, however. Noise can also affect cetaceans indirectly through their prey. Fish show permanent and temporary hearing loss, reduced catch rates, stress, and behavioral reactions to noise. Management implications of noise impacts include difficulties in establishing “safe” exposure levels, shortcomings of some mitigation tools, the need for precaution in the form of reducing noise levels and distancing noise from biologically important areas, and the role of marine protected areas and monitoring in safeguarding cetaceans especially from cumulative and synergistic effects.

show abstract

Section: Displacement From Important Habitat and Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of anthropogenic ocean noise on cetaceans and implications for management

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, gray whales Eschrichtius ro bustus were displaced from breeding lagoons by dredging and associated increases in shipping for 10 yr (Bryant et al 1984) and by industrial noise for over 5 yr (Jones et al 1994). Belugas Delphinapterus leucas in the Arctic fled from icebreakers at distances of 35 to 50 km and did not return to the area for 1 to 2 d afterwards (Finley et al 1990, Cosens & Dueck 1993, and bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus abandoned primary feeding grounds in Florida during periods of intense boat traffic (Allen & Read 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Displacement responses of a mysticete, an adontocete, and a phacid seal to construction-related vessel traffic

Anderwald¹,

Brandecker²,

Coleman³

et al. 2013

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine construction works often lead to temporary increases in vessel traffic, which, in addition to the construction activity itself, contribute to underwater ambient noise in the affected area and increase the risk of vessel collision for marine mammals. Using a 3 yr data set of cliff-based observations, we investigated whether the presence/absence of minke whales, bottlenose dolphins and grey seals varied with the overall number and type of vessels present during the construction of an underwater gas pipeline through a bay on the northwest coast of Ireland. Results from binary generalised estimation equations showed a positive relationship between the presence of bottlenose dolphins and the overall number of boats, as well as the number of construction vessels. However, the presence of the 2 taxa with higher hearing sensitivity at low frequencies -minke whales and grey seals -was negatively correlated with the total number of boats and the number of utility vessels (as well as the number of fishing boats in the case of minke whales). While bottlenose dolphins may have been attracted to either the vessels per se or high prey concentrations coinciding with construction activities, both minke whales and grey seals appear to have been displaced by high levels of vessel traffic, most likely due to noise disturbance. Careful consideration of mitigation measures, especially for taxa with low-frequency hearing, is therefore essential in the planning phase of offshore construction activities, which should also take local circumstances into account.

show abstract

“…Much research has been undertaken to identify key habitats of the Arctic region as a means of ensuring that these sites are either protected or recognized for special management as part of environmental reviews of projects. Aside from identifying the most important habitats for consideration, some research has also considered a variety of less direct effects, such as introduction of novel, invasive species (e.g., Chan et al 2015), changes to activity patterns and reactions of predators and scavengers to development sites (Johnson et al 2005;Liebezeit et al 2009), effects of noise on wildlife (e.g., Richardson et al 1985;Cosens and Dueck 1993), and the effects of disturbance in areas near wildlife (e.g., Duchesne et al 2000;Blumstein et al 2003;Beale and Monaghan 2004). However, most researchers and policy-makers would admit that much remains unknown (e.g., Arctic Council 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reactions of ground-nesting marine birds to human disturbance in the Canadian Arctic

Mallory

2016

Arctic Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

I studied the reactions of five ground-nesting marine bird species (Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), Sabine's gull (Xema sabini), common eider (Somateria mollissima), longtailed duck (Clangula hyemalis), and Ross' gull (Rhodostethia rosea)) breeding in the low and high Arctic to disturbance from nearby aircraft as well as avian flight initiation response to humans approaching on foot. All species except nesting long-tailed ducks and common eiders departed their nest when overhead aircraft were within 200 m, with loafing birds often flying off when aircraft were still 1 km away. There was considerable individual and species-specific variation in responses to approaching humans, with some nesting birds not flushing from their nest until touched by a researcher (e.g., waterfowl, 0 m), while others flushed when people were 400 m away (Ross's gull). Excluding Ross's gulls, 95% of the individuals of most species did not initiate flight until humans were ≤100 m from the nest, suggesting that this might represent a minimum, suitable "buffer zone" around nesting colonies for nonmotorized human activities.Key words: marine bird, nest, disturbance, Arctic, flush.Résumé : J'ai étudié les réactions de cinq espèces d'oiseaux marins (sterne arctique (Sterna paradisaea), mouette de Sabine (Xema sabini), eider à duvet (Somateria mollissima), harelde kakawi (Clangula hyemalis) et mouette rosée (Rhodostethia rosea)) se reproduisant dans le BasArctique et le Haut-Arctique, et ce, dans un environnement de perturbations causées par des aéronefs à proximité, ainsi que le déclenchement du vol aviaire en réaction à des humains s'approchant à pied. Toutes les espèces, sauf les hareldes kakawis et les eiders à duvet qui nichaient, ont quitté leur nid lorsqu'un aéronef survolait à une distance inférieure à 200 m, alors que les oiseaux au repos s'envolaient souvent lorsque les aéronefs se trouvaient encore à une distance de 1 km. Il y avait une grande variation individuelle et spécifique à l'espèce en ce qui a trait aux réponses à l'approche des humains, alors que quelques oiseaux nicheurs ne s'envolaient pas de leur nid jusqu'à ce qu'un chercheur les touche (ex., sauvagine, 0 m), tandis que d'autres s'envolaient lorsque les personnes étaient à 400 m (mouette rosée). En excluant les mouettes rosées, 95% des individus de la plupart des espèces n'ont pas amorcé le vol jusqu'à ce que les humains soient à ≤100 m du nid, suggérant que ceci peut représenter une « zone tampon » minimale et appropriée autour de la nidification des colonies, et ce, pour les activités humaines non motorisées.

show abstract

Icebreaker Noise in Lancaster Sound, N.W.T., Canada: Implications for Marine Mammal Behavior

Cited by 42 publications

References 12 publications

The impacts of anthropogenic ocean noise on cetaceans and implications for management

The impacts of anthropogenic ocean noise on cetaceans and implications for management

Displacement responses of a mysticete, an adontocete, and a phacid seal to construction-related vessel traffic

Reactions of ground-nesting marine birds to human disturbance in the Canadian Arctic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About