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Andrea Lynn, Ph.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Studies at Antioch University, New England

Dr. Andrea Lynn

Committee:

  • Dawn Murray, PhD, Chairperson
  • Beth Brady, PhD, Committee Member
  • James Jordan, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

URN, underwater radiated noise, ocean noise pollution, ship noise, Arctic marine mammals, melting sea ice

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

There is no quiet way to churn water. Noise pollution caused by ships is increasing in the Arctic Ocean as sea ice melts, creating more open channels for vessels. This study provides a glimpse into the sources and balance of sounds in a portion of the Arctic Ocean soundscape surrounding the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Characterization of the soundscape provides essential data as the region quickly transforms. This study also considers human perceptions of underwater ocean noise and its impacts in the region, and it reviews current ocean policy, suggesting mitigation strategies and ways forward. Before the rapid development of industry, prominent sounds in this underwater soundscape came from geological and biological sources. As vessel traffic increases, primary sound sources may be shifting from wind to ship noise. Sea ice extent has decreased in all months and in almost all regions of the Arctic, impacting Arctic marine mammals (AMMs) as their rapidly contracting habitat fills with unfamiliar anthropogenic noise. Noise in the ocean’s underwater soundscape degrades acoustic habitat. This study helps fill a gap in knowledge that has limited our understanding of how much underwater noise the eleven AMMs are exposed to and its effects, especially in consideration of the unique hearing and communication capabilities of each species. AMMs spend much of their lives in deep darkness and have evolved to depend on sound as their principal sense. They rely on sensory cues to learn and thrive in their environments. Hydrophones were deployed at 44 locations between 13 °E and 19 °E and 69 °N and 79 °N in April 2023. Wind, waves, and ice (geophony) dominated the soundscape’s acoustic signature in remote locations, while human-caused sounds (anthrophony) were significant near Arctic shipping routes, fishing areas, and in fjords. Marine mammal vocalizations were detected near the ice edge, at fjord mouths, and in fjords. Collecting and interpreting data that help explain the changing composition of the soundscape may offer insights to guide regulation of anthropogenic noise in the ocean’s underwater soundscape, contributing to management and conservation efforts. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) andOhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd).

Comments

ORCID: 0009-0007-2372-2582

Dr. Lynn listens beneath the ice and waves in the High Arctic. Photo credit Elena Adaasheva-Klein.

Bio:

Bio

Andrea Lynn, PhD (she/her/hers) believes that science shifts policy, after stories stir human hearts. A transdisciplinary scholar with the training and temperament of a journalist, Andrea explores the narwhal’s acoustic habitat, the music in melting Arctic ice, vocalizations of endemic Arctic marine mammals, and the songs of humpback whales to further positive climate policy. Researching Arctic Ocean underwater soundscapes, she investigates the impacts of anthropogenic noise in the ocean, especially the effects of underwater radiated noise (URN) from ships. Her research in the High Arctic, including at the North Pole, may help explain the changing composition of underwater Arctic Ocean soundscapes. In addition to her MS and PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England, Andrea holds an MFA in Writing and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a BA in Communication from Truman State University. Hear the soundscapes and voices Andrea has studied and learn more about underwater radiated noise (URN) and its impacts at https://www.andrealynn.me

Selected Publications

Lynn, A. (2024, Feb. 23). Making Music with the Humpbacks of Māʻalaea Bay. Yale Graduate Conference in Religion and Ecology, New Haven, CT. https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/YDSGCRE/andrea-lynn-2024/

Lynn, A. (2024). Soundscape characterization in the Central Arctic Ocean ecosystem (Svalbard) using acoustic indices. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 155(3_Supplement), A132-A132.

Lynn, A. (2017, Sept. 15). The Place Where You Live: Gold Beach, Oregon [Interview]. Public Radio Exchange. http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=17-P13-00037&segmentID=4

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