Unusually loud ambient noise in tidewater glacier fjords: a signal of ice melt
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
In glacierized fjords, the ice-ocean boundary is a physically and biologically dynamic environment that is sensitive to both glacier flow and ocean circulation. Ocean ambient noise offers insight into processes and change at the ice-ocean boundary. Here we characterize fjord ambient noise and show that the average noise levels are louder than nearly all measured natural oceanic environments (significantly louder than sea ice and non-glacierized fjords). Icy Bay, Alaska has an annual average sound pressure level of 120 dB (re 1 μPa) with a broad peak between 1000 and 3000 Hz. Bubble formation in the water column as glacier ice melts is the noise source, with variability driven by fjord circulation patterns. Measurements from two additional fjords, in Alaska and Antarctica, support that this unusually loud ambient noise in Icy Bay is representative of glacierized fjords. These high noise levels likely alter the behavior of marine mammals.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Unusually loud ambient noise in tidewater glacier fjords: a signal of ice melt |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1002/2014GL062950 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Publisher location | Washington, D.C. |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 2309 |
| Last page | 2316 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Icy Bay |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |