Beluga Whale Acoustic and Oceanographic Monitoring in Tarium Niryutait MPA

Fisheries and Oceans Canada maintains a dataset from passive acoustic and oceanographic sensors deployed in the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. The data, collected since 2011 with expanded deployments from 2014 onward, supports ecological monitoring of Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales and their habitat. It includes time series of water temperature, salinity, depth, and wave conditions from multiple locations within the MPA.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between beluga acoustic detections and environmental parameters like water temperature and salinity to model habitat use.
• Examine seasonal and interannual trends in oceanographic conditions such as wave conditions and turbidity within the TNMPA.
• Compare beluga movement patterns across different MPA parcels (Kittigaryuit, Niaqunnaq, Okeevik) using passive acoustic monitoring data.
• Use time series of depth and salinity data to understand estuarine dynamics in the Mackenzie Estuary and its influence on beluga aggregation.

Strengths

• Continuous monitoring effort initiated in 2011, providing over a decade of potential time-series data.
• Multi-sensor deployments record several oceanographic variables including temperature, salinity, depth, and wave conditions.
• Geographic coverage expanded from Kugmallit Bay in 2015 to include Niaqunnaq (2018) and Okeevik (2021) parcels of the MPA.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column structure, and sample data are unavailable, making initial data assessment difficult.
• The dataset's composition and consistency may vary due to changing mooring configurations and sensor types deployed each year.
• Data accessibility and structure are unclear, with listed formats including ESRI REST, PDF, and CSV without further detail.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Data collected via seabed moorings equipped with passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) devices and oceanographic sensors.

Time Range

Monitoring began in 2011, with oceanographic sensor additions from 2014 and ongoing deployments through at least 2021.

Freshness

The metadata record was last updated on March 24, 2026, indicating active maintenance.

Geography

Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TNMPA) in the Mackenzie Estuary, Eastern Beaufort Sea, Canada, specifically Kugmallit Bay, Niaqunnaq (Shallow Bay), and Okeevik parcels.