Ship-Source Noise Modeling from 2015-2018 in the Kitikmeot Region and Lancaster Sound (Northwest Passage), Nunavut

Abstract

Ship traffic has been increasing in the Canadian Arctic, and with it, underwater noise. Underwater noise from ships is known to cause a number of impacts on marine animals, and is therefore an important concern in the Arctic. This report is part of a larger study funded by the Nunavut General Monitoring Plan. In the report, we examine ship traffic in the Kitikmeot Region and Lancaster Sound, Nunavut (Northwest Passage – southern route), and model the noise levels caused by all of the ship traffic between 2015 and 2018. Ship noise peaks in August and September of every year analysed. Modeled ship noise was highest within Eclipse Sound due to the large volume of traffic within that area, but was also high south of Victoria Island in Dease Strait where ships are spatially constricted to following a relatively narrow route. Future work should be carried out to validate these modeling results with acoustic measurements in different parts of this region. Future work should also examine the overlap between ship noise and various marine animals, such as narwhal and beluga, to estimate the exposure of these animals to ship noise. ᐃᖅᑲᒃᑯᑦ. ᐃᖅᑲᒥ ᓂᐱᖏᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᕐᓃᙶᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᒪᕐᒥᐅᑕᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᖏᖕᓂ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖃᓲᖑᖕᒪᑕ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓱᒫᓘᑎᒋᔭᐅᕗᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᕗᖅ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᒥᓂᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᖓᓂᒃ. ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᒥ, ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᕿᑎᕐᒥᐅᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᓪᓗᕈᑎᑉ ᐃᒪᖓᓂ, ᓄᓇᕗ (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᓱᓪᓗᐊᓗᐊ − ᓂᒋᖅᐸᓯᖓᒍᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᑎᖓ), ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓂᐱᖏᑕ ᓴᙱᓂᖏᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᑦ ᖃᓄᑎᒋ ᓂᐱᖃᕐᒪᖔᑕ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕙᑦᑐᒥᓃᑦ 2015 ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 2018 ᐊᑯᕐᖓᖓᓂ. ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᐱᖃᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᓲᖅ ᐋᒡᒌᓯᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᑏᕝᕙ ᓂᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᒥᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᒪᓕᑦᑐᒋᑦ. ᐆᑦᑐᕋᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᕐᒦᙶᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᖏᑦ ᖁᑦᑎᓂᖅᐹᖑᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᒥ ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖏᖕᓄᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᔪᑦ ᑕᐅᕘᓇ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓗ ᖁᑦᑎᓛᖑᓯᒪᒋᕗᑦ ᓂᒋᐊᓂ ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᓯᐊᑉ ᕿᑭᖅᑕᓂᖓᑕ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᑦᑎᒨᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓲᖑᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᑐᐊᓗᐊᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᑎᖓ. ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕆᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓖᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᙳᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᒥᓃᑦ ᖃᓄᑎᒋ ᓂᐱᖃᖅᑎᒋᒻᒪᖔᑕ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂ. ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᒥᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕆᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᕆᕗᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕈᓐᓇᕋᔭᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᒦᙶᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᒪᕐᒥᐅᑕᐃᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᐃᑦ, ᓲᕐᓗᒃ ᑐᒑᓖᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᓚᓗᒐᐃᑦ, ᓇᓚᐅᑦᑖᖅᑕᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐆᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᔪᐊᑉ ᓂᐱᖏᖕᓄᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖃᓲᖑᖕᒪᖔᑕ ᖃᓄᑎᒋ.