image: These are Beluga whales in the pack ice in West Greenland. view more
Credit: PNAS
A study estimates the vulnerability of Arctic marine mammals to increased sea vessel traffic. September sea ice cover in the Arctic has retreated by 14% per decade since 1979, lengthening the open-water season and increasing navigability. Consequently, commercial vessel traffic in the Northwest Passage (NWP) through the Canadian Arctic and the Northern Sea Route (NSR) along the Russian Arctic coast has increased, but the potential environmental impacts are poorly understood. Donna Hauser and colleagues examined the vulnerability of 80 subpopulations of seven Arctic marine mammal species to vessel traffic during the open-water season. More than half of these subpopulations were exposed to vessel traffic in either the NWP or NSR. Vulnerability was determined based on a combination of exposure and sensitivity to vessel traffic. Narwhal populations tended to have the highest vulnerability scores, whereas polar bears tended to have the lowest vulnerability. Often the least vulnerable subpopulations also had the greatest uncertainty in vulnerability. Vulnerability was highest in narrow marine passageways, such as the Bering Strait and eastern Canadian Arctic. The results provide a framework for developing conservation measures and highlight areas in need of additional data and monitoring, according to the authors.
Article #18-03543: "Vulnerability of Arctic marine mammals to vessel traffic in the increasingly ice-free Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route," by Donna D. W. Hauser, Kristin L. Laidre, and Harry L. Stern.
MEDIA CONTACT: Donna D. W. Hauser, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; tel: 907-474-1553, 907-388-3621; e-mail: <dhauser@uw.edu>
###