UDTR — Radar mondial des droits de la Nature

Identifying Beluga Distribution in the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area using Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Identification

Clé publique

radar:r-b15452fbef38efaae03e25fdc35894de

Auteurs

Kevin Scharffenberg · Shannon A. MacPhee · Xavier Mouy · Dustin Whalen · Andrew J. Wright · Lisa L. Loseto

Année déclarée

2025

Langue déclarée

en

Type source

article

Première détection

2026-11-14T02:17:03.025282+00:00

Dernière observation des métadonnées

2026-11-14T02:17:03.025282+00:00

Dernière vérification HTTP

Non effectuée

Institutions déclarées par la source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada · Natural Resources Canada

Pays d’affiliation déclarés

CA

Résumé documentaire — langue originale

Arctic estuaries are important summer habitats for beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucus) and many populations form seasonal aggregations at these locations. This study presents the first comprehensive long-term analysis of beluga distribution within the Mackenzie Estuary since the 1970s and 1980s. Leveraging eight years of passive acoustic monitoring data, we assess the consistency of beluga habitat use over time and space by comparing vocalization rates at select monitoring locations annually and providing a benchmark upon which to monitor ecological change in the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. Findings reveal temporal consistency in beluga distribution and demonstrate site fidelity in alignment with known habitat hotspots; however, results also highlight a degree of inter-annual variability in beluga habitat use, indicating that belugas may alter their distribution in response to environmental and anthropogenic factors. Additionally, we develop a suite of simple univariate metrics to define the timing of belugas movements to and from the estuary. Our data support previous aerial survey findings and Inuvialuit Knowledge that beluga entry into the estuary is closely tied to the timing of ice breakup. Characteristics of the annual beluga aggregation should be considered in the relation to ice breakup date when interpreting indicators of change in habitat use.

Identifiants

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W4406750118

DOI

10.1139/as-2024-0052

Repères documentaires

Famille documentaire

article

Types déclarés par les sources

article

Éditeurs

Canadian Science Publishing

Les mentions d’entités ne constituent pas une preuve de reconnaissance juridique. La juridiction étudiée est distincte du pays d’affiliation des auteurs.

Sources

OpenAlex · Document 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2024-0052

Statut documentaire

Pertinence à examiner

Bibliothèque

Cette identité n’est pas encore intégrée à la Bibliothèque juridique.