Abstract:
Scientific evidence indicates that global climate changes, and the most rapid changes are in the Arctic. Northern temperatures have increased twice as fast as elsewhere, the areal extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice have decreased dramatically, sea level rises as oceans warm and as glaciers and icesheets melt, and the ocean becomes more acidic as it absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide. Changes in climate, as well as advances in technology, and the demand for resources have resulted in a newly accessible Arctic Ocean that invites to commercial fishing, shipping, tourism, mineral, and energy extraction interests and catches the attention of the US Coast Guard and the US Navy, among others. Many activities associated with these interests have implications for sound in the sea, and this presentation will present some of these at an overarching level. The United States has barely begun the baseline oceanographic research necessary to support national and international goals for ecosystem‐based management and marine spatial planning in the Arctic Ocean. The US Arctic Research Commission, an independent federal agency, that advises Congress and the Executive Branch calls for Arctic Ocean research that would help policy makers address these issues.