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August 12: Whales Get A Break as Pandemic Creates Quieter Oceans
David Barclay, Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University; Member Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron
Why are larger schools of Humpback whales feeding together in Alaska? As the COVID-19 pandemic slows international shipping, the loudest sounds underwater in Glacier Bay, Alaska during May 2020 were half as loud as those in May 2018. That may be providing momentary relief for whales, which are highly sensitive to noise. Dr. Barclay’s research is focused on modeling and measuring the spatial and temporal properties of ambient noise in the ocean. He is studying the natural mechanisms that generate underwater sound and the sound propagation properties of various oceanographic environments, including the study of surface noise generated by wind and rain in the deep ocean and the measurement of ocean pH, water column structure, and seabed properties.