Wind-driven ambient noise in seasonally ice-covered waters north of the Svalbard Archipelago

Abstract

This paper presents analysis of a one-year (2018–2019) recording of ambient noise (40–2000 Hz) at a seasonally ice-covered location on the continental slope between the Svalbard archipelago and the Nansen Basin, northeast Atlantic Arctic. Time series of ambient noise show highest correlations with ice concentration and wind speed. A log-wind speed regression model is fitted to spectral noise data for three categories of ice concentration. Wind-speed dependence decreases with increasing ice concentration and increases with frequency, except at high ice concentration. Periodicity in noise during the ice-covered season is related to the M2 and M4 tidal current constituents.