Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland
Icebreaker vessels are important scientific tools, enabling access and research within the polar regions of the world, including the High Arctic. These vessels have the potential to overlap with marine mammal habitats in infrequently studied areas. Marine mammal behavioral responses to icebreaker ve...
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ftutahsudc:oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:hwi-1521 2023-05-15T15:04:52+02:00 Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland Lomac-MacNair, Kate Pedro Andrade, José Esteves, Eduardo 2019-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol13/iss2/13 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&context=hwi unknown DigitalCommons@USU https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol13/iss2/13 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&context=hwi Human–Wildlife Interactions bearded seal behavioral response Crystophora cristata Erignathus barbatus harp seal hooded seal icebreaker Pagophilis groenlandicus Petermann Fjord Pusa hispida polar bears ringed seal Ursus maritimus Animal Experimentation and Research Animal Sciences Behavior and Ethology Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Marine Biology text 2019 ftutahsudc 2022-03-07T21:45:54Z Icebreaker vessels are important scientific tools, enabling access and research within the polar regions of the world, including the High Arctic. These vessels have the potential to overlap with marine mammal habitats in infrequently studied areas. Marine mammal behavioral responses to icebreaker vessel presence and distance at which responses occur are not well documented or understood. During the Petermann 2015 Expedition on the icebreaker Oden, seal and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) data were collected in Petermann Fjord (Northwest Greenland), the adjacent Nares Strait region, and transit to and from Thule, Greenland over 31 days (July 30 to August 30, 2015). We examined behavioral responses from 4 pinniped species: bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), ringed seal (Pusa hispida), harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and hooded seal (Crystophora cristata), as well as the polar bear to an icebreaker vessel in a rarely studied region of northwest Greenland. We investigated the rate of flush response, entering the water from a previously hauled out (i.e., resting) location on ice in relation to seal distance to the vessel. Our results showed a significant difference (independent t-test, P ≤ 0.001) between seal distance to the vessel when a flush response occurred (mean = 467.1 m, SD = 212.39 m) and when no flush response occurred (mean = 1334.0 m, SD = 433.89 m). There were fewer flush responses by seals to the icebreaker at distances >600 m and no flush responses by seals to the icebreaker at distances >800 m. We used a logistic model to describe the relationship between the proportion of seals that flushed and distance from the icebreaker. Results of the logistical model showed the estimated distance at which 50% of the seals flushed to be 709.45 m (SE = 9.24, t = 76.8, P < 0.0001). Three polar bears were recorded during the transit, and a behavioral response (e.g., look, approach, move away) was recorded for all 3 sightings. Our preliminary findings are relevant to assess potential impacts of increasing vessel activity in the High Arctic and to assist in the development of effective monitoring and mitigation strategies. Text Arctic bearded seal Erignathus barbatus Greenland Harp Seal hooded seal Nares strait oden Pagophilus groenlandicus Petermann Fjord polar bear Pusa hispida ringed seal Thule Ursus maritimus Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU Arctic Greenland Nares ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) Petermann Fjord ENVELOPE(-61.500,-61.500,81.167,81.167) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU |
op_collection_id |
ftutahsudc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
bearded seal behavioral response Crystophora cristata Erignathus barbatus harp seal hooded seal icebreaker Pagophilis groenlandicus Petermann Fjord Pusa hispida polar bears ringed seal Ursus maritimus Animal Experimentation and Research Animal Sciences Behavior and Ethology Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Marine Biology |
spellingShingle |
bearded seal behavioral response Crystophora cristata Erignathus barbatus harp seal hooded seal icebreaker Pagophilis groenlandicus Petermann Fjord Pusa hispida polar bears ringed seal Ursus maritimus Animal Experimentation and Research Animal Sciences Behavior and Ethology Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Marine Biology Lomac-MacNair, Kate Pedro Andrade, José Esteves, Eduardo Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
topic_facet |
bearded seal behavioral response Crystophora cristata Erignathus barbatus harp seal hooded seal icebreaker Pagophilis groenlandicus Petermann Fjord Pusa hispida polar bears ringed seal Ursus maritimus Animal Experimentation and Research Animal Sciences Behavior and Ethology Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Marine Biology |
description |
Icebreaker vessels are important scientific tools, enabling access and research within the polar regions of the world, including the High Arctic. These vessels have the potential to overlap with marine mammal habitats in infrequently studied areas. Marine mammal behavioral responses to icebreaker vessel presence and distance at which responses occur are not well documented or understood. During the Petermann 2015 Expedition on the icebreaker Oden, seal and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) data were collected in Petermann Fjord (Northwest Greenland), the adjacent Nares Strait region, and transit to and from Thule, Greenland over 31 days (July 30 to August 30, 2015). We examined behavioral responses from 4 pinniped species: bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), ringed seal (Pusa hispida), harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and hooded seal (Crystophora cristata), as well as the polar bear to an icebreaker vessel in a rarely studied region of northwest Greenland. We investigated the rate of flush response, entering the water from a previously hauled out (i.e., resting) location on ice in relation to seal distance to the vessel. Our results showed a significant difference (independent t-test, P ≤ 0.001) between seal distance to the vessel when a flush response occurred (mean = 467.1 m, SD = 212.39 m) and when no flush response occurred (mean = 1334.0 m, SD = 433.89 m). There were fewer flush responses by seals to the icebreaker at distances >600 m and no flush responses by seals to the icebreaker at distances >800 m. We used a logistic model to describe the relationship between the proportion of seals that flushed and distance from the icebreaker. Results of the logistical model showed the estimated distance at which 50% of the seals flushed to be 709.45 m (SE = 9.24, t = 76.8, P < 0.0001). Three polar bears were recorded during the transit, and a behavioral response (e.g., look, approach, move away) was recorded for all 3 sightings. Our preliminary findings are relevant to assess potential impacts of increasing vessel activity in the High Arctic and to assist in the development of effective monitoring and mitigation strategies. |
format |
Text |
author |
Lomac-MacNair, Kate Pedro Andrade, José Esteves, Eduardo |
author_facet |
Lomac-MacNair, Kate Pedro Andrade, José Esteves, Eduardo |
author_sort |
Lomac-MacNair, Kate |
title |
Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
title_short |
Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
title_full |
Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seal and Polar Bear Behavioral Response to an Icebreaker Vessel in Northwest Greenland |
title_sort |
seal and polar bear behavioral response to an icebreaker vessel in northwest greenland |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@USU |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol13/iss2/13 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&context=hwi |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) ENVELOPE(-61.500,-61.500,81.167,81.167) |
geographic |
Arctic Greenland Nares Petermann Fjord |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Greenland Nares Petermann Fjord |
genre |
Arctic bearded seal Erignathus barbatus Greenland Harp Seal hooded seal Nares strait oden Pagophilus groenlandicus Petermann Fjord polar bear Pusa hispida ringed seal Thule Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Arctic bearded seal Erignathus barbatus Greenland Harp Seal hooded seal Nares strait oden Pagophilus groenlandicus Petermann Fjord polar bear Pusa hispida ringed seal Thule Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
Human–Wildlife Interactions |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol13/iss2/13 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&context=hwi |
_version_ |
1766336615682146304 |