An analysis of the soundscape of a tidewater glacial fjord environment, LeConte Glacier, Alaska

Glacierized fjords present a unique set of acoustic environments that are significantly louder than other ice-covered environments, with average sound pressure levels of 120 dB (re 1 μPa) with a broad peak between 1 and 3 kHz [Geophys. Res. Lett. 42, 205 (2015)]. The intensity within this peak is due to the release of bubbles from compressed air-filled pores within melting glacier ice. The glacier-ocean boundary is dynamic, sensitive to fresh- and sea-water balances governed by submarine glacier melt from heat transfer between the glacier face and ocean [J. Phys. Oceanogr. 46 (2016)]. This heat transfer leads to regular calving events (< 200 Hz) contributing significantly to the overall sound level of the environment. Further, as icebergs melt and break apart they may remain in the fjord forming an ice melange top boundary layer. This talk presents acoustic measurements from and analysis of the soundscape of LeConte Bay, a glacierized fjord in southeastern Alaska, studied from October 2015 to April 2016 u...