INTERNATIONAL QUIET OCEAN EXPERIMENT – ARCTIC ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENTS

• Main Authors: Blondel, Philippe, Sagen, Hanne, Houssais, Marie Noëlle, Mikhalevsky, Peter, Pajala, Jukka, Racca, Roberto, Tegowski, Jaroslaw, Thomisch, Karolin, Tougaard, Jakob, Urban, Ed, Vedenev, Alexander
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: ambient noise; Arctic acoustics; International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE); Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Global warming; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/612b9337-1d16-4051-b836-28fd02fb24d0; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177602014&partnerID=8YFLogxK

High-latitude regions like the Arctic Ocean are becoming increasingly important as global warming makes them more accessible, raising economic and political interests. Sea ice reduction is facilitating resource exploration, marine transport and other activities. Warming waters and changing sea ice conditions lead to shifts in ecosystems. Resource exploitation will grow in the coming decades, offering new opportunities but also new challenges to these fragile environments and their biodiversity. The natural and anthropogenic changes in this region will change the characteristics of soundscapes. To measure and assess them at a variety of spatial and temporal scales, the International Quiet Ocean Experiment created in 2017 a working group on Arctic Acoustic Environments. First activities focus on synthesising state-of-the-art knowledge of Arctic sounds—past, present and future. WG activities were presented at the Arctic Observing Summit 2018 and its recommendations adopted at the 2 nd Arctic Science Ministerial. We are linking with indigenous communities and other stakeholders to address emerging trends, plan where/when to conduct optimal acoustic surveys, and prioritise metrics. We present the plans and first actions of this IQOE WG.