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Article Dans Une Revue Science Advances Année : 2023

Stuck in a corner: Anthropogenic noise threatens narwhals in their once pristine Arctic habitat

Outi Tervo
Susanna Blackwell
Susanne Ditlevsen
Eva Garde
Rikke Hansen
  • Fonction : Auteur
Alexander Conrad
  • Fonction : Auteur
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen

Résumé

Niche-conservative species are especially susceptible to changes in their environment, and detecting the negative effects of new stressors in their habitats is vital for safeguarding of these species. In the Arctic, human disturbance including marine traffic and exploration of resources is increasing rapidly due to climate change–induced reduction of sea ice. Here, we show that the narwhal, Monodon monoceros , is extremely sensitive to human-made noise. Narwhals avoided deep diving (> 350 m) with simultaneous reduction of foraging and increased shallow diving activity as a response to either ship sound alone or ship sound with concurrent seismic airgun pulses. Normal behavior decreased by 50 to 75% at distances where received sound levels were below background noise. Narwhals were equally responsive to both disturbance types, hence demonstrating their acute sensitivity to ship sound. This sensitivity coupled with their special behavioral-ecological strategy including a narrow ecological niche and high site fidelity makes them thus especially vulnerable to human impacts in the Arctic.

Dates et versions

hal-04600179 , version 1 (04-06-2024)

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Citer

Outi Tervo, Susanna Blackwell, Susanne Ditlevsen, Eva Garde, Rikke Hansen, et al.. Stuck in a corner: Anthropogenic noise threatens narwhals in their once pristine Arctic habitat. Science Advances , 2023, 9 (30), ⟨10.1126/sciadv.ade0440⟩. ⟨hal-04600179⟩

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