The Arctic Ice Monitoring (AIM) observatory has been maintained on the Chukchi Plateau at 75.1° N 168.0° W nearly continuously since 2003. The AIM site consists of a submerged mooring that, since October 2008, has been instrumented with a passive acoustic recorder to sample ambient sound, with a focus on marine mammal detections in the High Arctic. Year-long data sets for 2009, 2012, and 2014–2020 were analyzed for the presence of signals from Arctic species including bowhead and beluga whales, bearded seals, and walrus. Calls from subarctic ribbon seals were commonly detected in autumn months, suggesting they have expanded their distribution much further northward. Killer whale calls were detected in recent years providing evidence that they have moved further north into the Pacific Arctic. No other subarctic cetaceans were heard. Year-round passive acoustic sampling of sounds produced by marine mammals over a decadal timescale has enhanced our understanding of how climate-driven changes in biodiversity are affecting even the very High Arctic.

1.
Ahonen
,
H.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
de Steur
,
L.
,
Lydersen
,
C.
,
Wiig
,
Ø.
, and
Kovacs
,
K. M.
(
2017
). “
The underwater soundscape in western Fram Strait: Breeding ground of Spitsbergen's endangered bowhead whales
,”
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
123
,
97
112
.
2.
Bonnel
,
J.
,
Thode
,
A. M.
,
Blackwell
,
S. B.
,
Kim
,
K.
, and
Macrander
,
A. M.
(
2014
). “
Range estimation of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) calls in the Arctic using a single hydrophone
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
136
,
145
155
.
3.
Boveng
,
P. L.
,
Ziel
,
H. L.
,
McClintock
,
B. T.
, and
Cameron
,
M. F.
(
2020
). “
Body condition of phocid seals during a period of rapid environmental change in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Alaska
,”
Deep-Sea Res. Part II
181–182
,
104904
.
4.
Breed
,
G. A.
,
Matthews
,
C. J. D.
,
Marcoux
,
M.
,
Higdon
,
J. W.
,
LeBlanc
,
B.
,
Petersen
,
S. D.
,
Orr
,
J.
,
Reinhart
,
N. R.
, and
Ferguson
,
S. H.
(
2017
). “
Sustained disruption of narwhal habitat use and behavior in the presence of Arctic killer whales
,”
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
114
,
2628
2633
.
5.
Brower
,
A. A.
,
Clarke
,
J. T.
, and
Ferguson
,
M. C.
(
2018
). “
Increased sightings of subArctic cetaceans in the eastern Chukchi Sea, 2008–2016: Population recovery, response to climate change, or increased survey effort?
,”
Polar Biol.
41
,
1033
1039
.
6.
Burns
,
J. J.
(
1970
). “
Remarks on the distribution and natural history of pagophilic pinnipeds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas
,”
J. Mammal.
51
,
445
454
.
7.
Burns
,
J. J.
(
1981a
). “
Bearded seal erignathus barbatus erxleben, 1777
,” in
Handbook of Marine Mammals, Volume 2: Seals
, edited by
S. H.
Ridgway
and
R. J.
Harrison
(
Academic Press
,
New York
), pp.
145
170
.
8.
Burns
,
J. J.
(
1981b
). “
Ribbon seal, phoca fasciata
,” in
Handbook of Marine Mammals, Volume 2: Seals
, edited by
S. H.
Ridgway
and
R. J.
Harrison
(
Academic Press
,
New York
), pp.
89
109
.
9.
Citta
,
J. J.
,
Okkonen
,
S. R.
,
Quakenbush
,
L. T.
,
Maslowski
,
W.
,
Osinski
,
R.
,
George
,
J. C.
,
Small
,
R. J.
,
Brower
,
H.
,
Heide-Jørgensen
,
M. P.
, and
Harwood
,
L. A.
(
2018
). “
Oceanographic characteristics associated with autumn movements of bowhead whales in the Chukchi Sea
,”
Deep-Sea Res. Part II
152
,
121
131
.
10.
Citta
,
J. J.
,
Quakenbush
,
L.
, and
George
,
J. C.
(
2021
). “
Distribution and behavior of Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort bowhead whales as inferred by telemetry
,” in
The Bowhead Whale Balaena Mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions
, edited by
J. C.
George
and
J. G. M.
Thewissen
(
Academic Press
,
London
), pp.
31
56
.
11.
Clarke
,
J.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Moore
,
S. E.
,
Rone
,
B.
,
Aerts
,
L.
, and
Crance
,
J.
(
2013
). “
Subarctic cetaceans in the southern Chukchi Sea: Evidence of recovery or response to a changing Ecosystem
,”
Oceanography
26
,
136
149
.
12.
Cleator
,
H. J.
,
Stirling
,
I.
, and
Smith
,
T. G.
(
1989
). “
Underwater vocalizations of the bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus)
,”
Can. J. Zool.
67
,
1900
1910
.
13.
Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (
2021
). http://marine.copernicus.eu (Last viewed 4 December 2021).
14.
Danielson
,
S. L.
,
Ahkinga
,
O.
,
Ashjian
,
C.
,
Basyuk
,
E.
,
Cooper
,
L. W.
,
Eisner
,
L.
,
Farley
,
E.
,
Iken
,
K. B.
,
Grebmeier
,
J. M.
,
Juranek
,
L.
,
Khen
,
G.
,
Jayne
,
S. R.
,
Kikuchi
,
T.
,
Ladd
,
C.
,
Lu
,
K.
,
McCabe
,
R. M.
,
Moore
,
G. W. K.
,
Nishino
,
S.
,
Ozenna
,
F.
,
Pickart
,
R. S.
,
Ployakov
,
I.
,
Stabeno
,
P. J.
,
Thoman
,
R.
,
Williams
,
W. J.
,
Wood
,
K.
, and
Weingartner
,
T. J.
(
2020
). “
Manifestation and consequences of warming and altered heat fluxes over the Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves
,”
Deep-Sea Res. Part II
177
,
104781
.
15.
Delarue
,
J.
,
Martin
,
B.
, and
Hannay
,
D.
(
2013
). “
Minke whale boing sound detections in the northeastern Chukchi Sea
,”
Mar. Mam. Sci.
29
,
E333
E341
.
16.
Duffy-Anderson
,
J. T.
,
Stabeno
,
P.
,
Andrews
,
A. G.
,
Cieciel
,
K.
,
Deary
,
A.
,
Farley
,
E.
,
Fugate
,
C.
,
Harpold
,
C.
,
Heintz
,
R.
,
Kimmel
,
D.
,
Kuletz
,
K.
,
Lamb
,
J.
,
Paquin
,
M.
,
Porter
,
S.
,
Rogers
,
L.
,
Spear
,
A.
, and
Yasumiishi
,
E.
(
2019
). “
Responses of the northern Bering Sea and southeastern Bering Sea pelagic ecosystems following record-breaking low winter sea ice
,”
Geophys. Res. Lett.
46
,
9833
9842
, .
17.
Ellison
,
W.
,
Clark
,
C. W.
, and
Bishop
,
G. C.
(
1987
). “
Potential use of surface reverberation by bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, in under-ice navigation: Preliminary considerations
,”
Rep. Int. Whaling Comm.
37
,
329
332
.
18.
Ferguson
,
S.
,
Higdon
,
J.
, and
Chmelnitsky
,
E.
(
2010
). “
The rise of killer whales as a major arctic predator
,” in
A Little Less Arctic: Top Predators in the World's Largest Northern Inland Sea
, edited by
S.
Ferguson
,
L.
Loseto
, and
M.
Mallory
(
Springer
,
New York
), pp.
117
136
.
19.
Frost
,
K. J.
, and
Lowry
,
L. F.
(
1990
). “
Distribution, abundance, and movements of beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, in coastal waters of western Alaska
,”
Can. Bull. Fisheries Aquatic Sci.
224
,
39
57
.
20.
Frouin-Mouy
,
H.
,
Mouy
,
X.
,
Berchok
,
C. L.
,
Blackwell
,
S. B.
, and
Stafford
,
K. M.
(
2019
). “
Acoustic occurrence and behavior of ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
,”
Polar Biol.
42
,
657
674
.
21.
Garde
,
E.
,
Jung-Madsen
,
S.
,
Ditlevsen
,
S.
,
Hansen
,
R. G.
,
Zinglersen
,
K. B.
, and
Heide-Jørgensen
,
M. P.
(
2017
). “
Diving behavior of the Atlantic walrus in High Arctic Greenland and Canada
,”
J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
500
,
89
99
.
22.
George
,
J. C.
,
Clark
,
C.
,
Carroll
,
G. M.
, and
Ellison
,
W. T.
(
1989
). “
Observations on the ice-breaking and ice navigation behavior of migrating bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) near Point Barrow, Alaska, Spring 1985
,”
Arctic
42
,
24
30
.
23.
George
,
J. C.
,
Sheffield
,
G.
,
Reed
,
D. J.
,
Tudor
,
B.
,
Stimmelmayr
,
R.
,
Person
,
B. T.
,
Sformo
,
T.
, and
Suydam
,
R.
(
2017
). “
Frequency of injuries from line entanglements, killer whales, and ship strikes on Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas bowhead whales
,”
Arctic
70
,
37
46
.
24.
George
,
J. C.
, and
Thewissen
,
J. G. M.
(
2021
).
The Bowhead Whale Balaena Mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions
(
Academic Press
,
London
), p.
627
.
25.
Grebmeier
,
J. M.
,
Overland
,
J. E.
,
Moore
,
S. E.
,
Farley
,
E. V.
,
Carmack
,
E. C.
,
Cooper
,
L. W.
,
Frey
,
K. E.
, Helle, J. H., McLaughlin, F. A., and
McNutt
,
S. L
. (
2006
). “
A major ecosystem shift in the northern Bering Sea
,”
Science
311
,
1461
1464
.
26.
Halliday
,
W. D.
,
Pine
,
M. K.
,
Citta
,
J. J.
,
Harwood
,
L.
,
Hauser
,
D. D. W.
,
Hilliard
,
R. C.
,
Lea
,
E. V.
,
Loseto
,
L. L.
,
Quakenbush
,
L.
, and
Insley
,
S. J.
(
2021
). “
Potential exposure of beluga and bowhead whales to underwater noise from ship traffic in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas
,”
Ocean Coastal Manage.
204
,
105473
105414
.
27.
Hamilton
,
C. D.
,
Kovacs
,
K. M.
, and
Lydersen
,
C.
(
2018
). “
Individual variability in diving, movement and activity patterns of adult bearded seals in Svalbard, Norway
,”
Sci. Rep.
8
,
1
17
.
28.
Hannay
,
D. E.
,
Delarue
,
J.
,
Mouy
,
X.
,
Martin
,
B. S.
,
Leary
,
D.
,
Oswald
,
J. N.
, and
Vallarta
,
J.
(
2013
). “
Marine mammal acoustic detections in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, September 2007–July 2011
,”
Continental Shelf Res.
67
,
127
146
.
29.
Hauser
,
D.
,
Laidre
,
K. L.
,
Suydam
,
R. S.
, and
Richard
,
P. R.
(
2014
). “
Population-specific home ranges and migration timing of Pacific Arctic beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
,”
Polar Biol.
37
,
1171
1183
.
30.
Heimrich
,
A. F.
,
Halliday
,
W. D.
,
Frouin-Mouy
,
H.
,
Pine
,
M. K.
,
Jaunes
,
F.
, and
Insley
,
S. J.
(
2021
). “
Vocalizations of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) and their influence on the soundscape of the western Canadian Arctic
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
37
,
173
192
.
31.
Higdon
,
J. W.
,
Hauser
,
D. D. W.
, and
Ferguson
,
S. H.
(
2012
). “
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Canadian Arctic: Distribution, prey items, group sizes, and seasonality
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
28
,
E93
E109
.
32.
Howe
,
B. M.
,
Miksis-Olds
,
J. L.
,
Rehm
,
E.
,
Sagen
,
H.
,
Worcester
,
P. F.
, and
Haralabus
,
G.
(
2019
). “
Observing the oceans acoustically
,”
Front. Mar. Sci.
6
,
1
22
.
33.
Huntington
,
H. P.
,
Ferguson
,
S. H.
,
George
,
J. C.
,
Noongwook
,
G.
,
Quakenbush
,
L.
,
Thewissen
,
J. G. M.
,
George
,
J. C.
, and
Thewissen
,
J. G. M.
(
2021
). “
Indigenous knowledge in research and management
,” in
The Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions
(
Academic Press
,
London
), pp.
549
564
.
34.
Jay
,
C. V.
,
Farley
,
S. D.
, and
Garner
,
G. W.
(
2001
). “
Summer diving behavior of male walruses in Bristol Bay, Alaska
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
17
,
617
631
.
35.
Jay
,
C. V.
,
Fischbach
,
A. S.
, and
Kochnev
,
A. A.
(
2012
). “
Walrus areas of use in the Chukchi Sea during sparse sea ice cover
,”
Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
468
,
1
13
.
36.
Jones
,
J. M.
,
Thayre
,
B. J.
,
Roth
,
E. H.
,
Mahoney
,
M.
,
Sia
,
I.
,
Merculief
,
K.
,
Jackson
,
C.
,
Zeller
,
C.
,
Clare
,
M.
,
Bacon
,
A.
,
Weaver
,
S.
,
Gentes
,
Z.
,
Small
,
R. J.
,
Stirling
,
I.
,
Wiggins
,
S. M.
, and
Hildebrand
,
J. A.
(
2014
). “
Ringed, bearded, and ribbon seal vocalizations north of Barrow, Alaska: Seasonal presence and relationship with sea ice
,”
Arctic
67
,
203
220
.
37.
Lewis
,
K. M.
,
van Dijken
,
G. L.
, and
Arrigo
,
K. R.
(
2020
). “
Changes in phytoplankton concentration now drive increased Arctic Ocean primary production
,”
Science
369
,
198
202
.
38.
MacIntyre
,
K. Q.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Berchok
,
C. L.
, and
Boveng
,
P.
(
2013
). “
Year-round acoustic detection of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in the Beaufort Sea relative to changing environmental conditions, 2008–2010
,”
Polar Biol.
36
,
1161
1173
.
39.
MacIntyre
,
K. Q.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Conn
,
P. B.
,
Laidre
,
K. L.
, and
Boveng
,
P. L.
(
2015
). “
The relationship between sea ice concentration and the spatio-temporal distribution of vocalizing bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas from 2008 to 2011
,”
Prog. Oceanogr.
136
,
241
249
.
40.
Madrigal
,
B. C.
,
Crance
,
J. L.
,
Berchok
,
C. L.
, and
Stimpert
,
A. K.
(
2021
). “
Call repertoire and inferred ecotype presence of killer whales (Orcinus orca) recorded in the southeastern Chukchi Sea
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
150
,
145
158
.
41.
Melling
,
H.
,
Johnston
,
P. H.
, and
Riedel
,
D. A.
(
1995
). “
Measurements of the underside topography of sea ice by moored subsea sonar
,”
J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.
12
,
589
602
.
42.
Miloslavich
,
P.
,
Bax
,
N. J.
,
Simmons
,
S. E.
,
Klein
,
E.
,
Appeltans
,
W.
,
Aburto-Oropeza
,
O.
,
Andersen Garcia
,
M.
,
Batten
,
S. D.
,
Benedetti-Cecchi
,
L.
,
Checkley
,
D. M.
, Jr.
,
Chiba
,
S.
,
Duffy
,
J. E.
,
Dunn
,
D. C.
,
Fischer
,
A.
,
Gunn
,
J.
,
Kudela
,
R.
,
Marsac
,
F.
,
Muller- Karger
,
F. E.
,
Obura
,
D.
, and
Shin
,
Y. J.
(
2018
). “
Essential ocean variables for global sustained observations of biodiversity and ecosystem changes
,”
Glob. Change Biol.
24
,
2416
2433
.
43.
Moore
,
S. E.
(
2008
). “
Marine mammals as ecosystem sentinels
,”
J. Mamm.
89
,
534
540
.
44.
Moore
,
S. E.
,
Howe
,
B. M.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
, and
Boyd
,
M. L.
(
2007
). “
Including whale call detection in standard ocean measurements: Application of acoustic seagliders
,”
Mar. Technol. Soc. J.
41
,
53
57
.
45.
Moore
,
S. E.
, and
Huntington
,
H. P.
(
2008
). “
Arctic marine mammals and climate change: Impacts and resilience
,”
Ecol. Appl.
18
,
S157
S165
.
46.
Moore
,
S. E.
, and
Kuletz
,
K. J.
(
2019
). “
Marine birds and mammals as ecosystem sentinels in and near Distributed Biological Observatory regions: An abbreviated review of published accounts and recommendations for integration to ocean observatories
,”
Deep-Sea Res. Part II
162
,
211
217
.
47.
Moore
,
S. E.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Melling
,
H.
,
Berchok
,
C.
,
Wiig
,
Ø.
,
Kovacs
,
K. M.
,
Lydersen
,
C.
, and
Richter-Menge
,
J
. (
2012
). “
Comparing marine mammal acoustic habitats in Atlantic and Pacific sectors of the High Arctic: Year-long records from Fram Strait and the Chukchi Plateau
,”
Polar Biol.
35
,
475
480
.
48.
Olnes
,
J.
,
Crawford
,
J.
,
Citta
,
J. J.
,
Druckenmiller
,
M. L.
,
Von Duyke
,
A. L.
, and
Quakenbush
,
L.
(
2020
). “
Movement, diving, and haul‐out behaviors of juvenile bearded seals in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas, 2014–2018
,”
Polar Biol.
43
,
1307
1320
.
49.
Quakenbush
,
L. T.
,
Citta
,
J. J.
,
George
,
J. C.
,
Small
,
R. J.
, and
Heide-Jørgensen
,
M. P.
(
2010
). “
Fall and winter movements of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Chukchi Sea and within a potential petroleum development area
,”
Arctic
63
,
289
307
.
50.
Rampal
,
P.
,
Dansereau
,
V.
,
Olason
,
E.
,
Bouillon
,
S.
,
Williams
,
T.
,
Korosov
,
A.
, and
Samaké
,
A.
(
2019
). “
On the multi-fractal scaling properties of sea ice deformation
,”
Cryosphere
13
,
2457
2474
.
51.
Richard
,
P. R.
,
Martin
,
A. R.
, and
Orr
,
J. R.
(
2001
). “
Summer and autumn movements of belugas of the eastern Beaufort Sea stock
,”
Arctic
54
,
223
236
.
52.
Rivas
,
M. B.
,
Otosaka
,
I.
,
Stoffelen
,
A.
, and
Verhoef
,
A.
(
2018
). “
A scatterometer record of sea ice extents and backscatter: 1992–2016
,”
Cryosphere
12
,
2941
2953
.
53.
Sheffield
,
G.
, and
Grebmeier
,
J. M.
(
2009
). “
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens): Differential prey digestion and diet
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
25
,
761
777
.
54.
Shi
,
J.
,
Cao
,
Y.
,
Zhao
,
J.
,
Gao
,
G.
,
Jiao
,
Y.
, and
Li
,
S.
(
2003
). “
Distribution of Pacific-origin water in the region of the Chukchi Plateau in the Arctic Ocean in the summer of 2003
,”
Acta Oceanolog. Sin.
24
,
12
24
.
55.
Simard
,
Y.
,
Roy
,
N.
,
Giard
,
S.
,
Gervaise
,
C.
,
Conversano
,
M.
, and
Ménard
,
N.
(
2010
). “
Estimating whale density from their whistling activity: Example with St. Lawrence beluga
,”
Appl. Acoust.
71
,
1081
1086
.
56.
Simon
,
M.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Beedholm
,
K.
,
Lee
,
C. M.
, and
Madsen
,
P. T.
(
2010
). “
Singing behavior of fin whales in the Davis Strait with implications for mating, migration and foraging
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
128
,
3200
3210
.
57.
Stafford
,
K. M.
(
2019
). “
Increasing detections of killer whales (Orcinus orca), in the Pacific Arctic
,”
Mar. Mam. Sci.
35
,
696
706
.
58.
Stafford
,
K. M.
,
Citta
,
J. J.
,
Okkonen
,
S.
, and
Zhang
,
J.
(
2021
). “
Bowhead and beluga whale acoustic detections in the western Beaufort Sea 2008– 2018
,”
PLoS One
16
,
e0253929
.
59.
Stirling
,
I.
,
Calvert
,
W.
, and
Cleator
,
H.
(
1983
). “
Underwater vocalizations as a tool for studying the distribution and relative abundance of wintering pinnipeds in the High Arctic
,”
Arctic
36
,
277
310
.
60.
Suydam
,
R.
,
Lowry
,
L. F.
,
Frost
,
K. J.
,
O'Corry-Crowe
,
G.
, and
Pikok
,
D.
(
2001
). “
Satellite tracking of eastern Chukchi Sea beluga whales into the Arctic Ocean
,”
Arctic
54
,
207
355
.
61.
Waga
,
H.
, and
Hirawake
,
T.
(
2020
). “
Changing occurrences of fall blooms associated with variations in phytoplankton size structure in the Pacific Arctic
,”
Front. Mar. Sci.
7
,
1
12
.
62.
Willoughby
,
A. L.
,
Ferguson
,
M. C.
,
Stimmelmayr
,
R.
,
Clarke
,
J. T.
, and
Brower
,
A. A.
(
2020
). “
Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whale (Orcinus orca) co‐occurrence in the US Pacific Arctic, 2009–2018: Evidence from bowhead whale carcasses
,”
Polar Biol.
43
,
1669
1697
.
63.
Woodgate
,
R.
,
Stafford
,
K. M.
, and
Prahl
,
F.
(
2015
). “
A synthesis of year-round interdisciplinary mooring measurements in the Bering Strait (1990–2014) and the RUSALCA Years (2004–2011)
,”
Oceanography
28
,
46
67
.
You do not currently have access to this content.