Mérindol, J., Gervaise, C., Mercure-Boissonnault, P., St-Onge, G., and Cauchy, P. (2026). Wind-dependent and traffic-generated noise in marine mammal habitat: Assessment across three frequency bands in the St. Lawrence Estuary, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 159, 4097–4112. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0043175

Abstract
Underwater sound plays a critical role in cetacean life, supporting behaviors such as foraging, communication, navigation, and reproduction. The St. Lawrence Estuary (eastern Canada) is an important habitat for several cetacean species, but also a major shipping corridor linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, exposing marine mammals to elevated anthropogenic noise levels. Given the threatened status of species such as the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), quantifying underwater noise and identifying its sources is essential for effective conservation. As part of the MARS (Marine Acoustic Research Station) project, this study analyzes acoustic data collected from August to October 2021 in the Laurentian Channel. We developed a model to classify and quantify wind- and vessel-generated noise across three biologically relevant frequency bands: 50, 300, and 6300 Hz. Our results show that at 50 Hz—used by blue whales—shipping noise dominates nearly 100% of the time. At 6300 Hz—used by belugas—traffic contributes 24.4% of measured noise levels. These findings highlight the importance of frequency- and species-specific approaches to better inform mitigation strategies and support sustainable marine traffic management.

The article is available here: https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/159/5/4097/3391290/Wind-dependent-and-traffic-generated-noise-in

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Best regards,
Jeanne

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Jeanne Mérindol

PhD Student

Pronouns: she/her

jm586@st-andrews.ac.uk

Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU)

Scottish Oceans Institute

School of Biology

University of St Andrews

Fife, KY16 8LB, UK

https://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk

The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland: No SC013532

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