Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska
As climate change alters subarctic ecosystems and human activities in Alaska, ecological baselines are critical for long-term conservation. We applied an ecoacoustic approach to characterize the ecological conditions of a rapidly deglaciating region in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. Using autom...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Timothy C. Mullet Almo Farina |
| author_facet | Timothy C. Mullet Almo Farina |
| author_sort | Timothy C. Mullet |
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| description | As climate change alters subarctic ecosystems and human activities in Alaska, ecological baselines are critical for long-term conservation. We applied an ecoacoustic approach to characterize the ecological conditions of a rapidly deglaciating region in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. Using automated recording units deployed at increasing distances from a road, we collected over 120,000 one-minute audio samples during the tourist seasons of 2021 and 2022. Ecoacoustic indices—Sonic Heterogeneity Index (SHI<sub>tf</sub>), Spectral Sonic Signature (SSS), Weighted Proportion of Occupied Frequencies (wPOF), and Normalized Difference Sonic Heterogeneity Index (NDSHI)—were used to measure spatio-temporal patterns of the sonoscape. Results revealed higher sonic heterogeneity near the road attributed to technophony (vehicles) and geophony (wind) that spanned across the frequency spectrum, masking mid-high frequency biophony. Seasonal phenology and diel variations reflected ecological and human rhythms, including biophony from the dawn chorus from May–June, technophony from vehicle-based tourism from July–September, and decreased sonic activity in the form of geophonic ambience in October. Low-frequency geophonies were prevalent throughout the sonoscape with more natural sounds at greater distances from the road. Our findings demonstrate the benefits of using ecoacoustic methods to assess ecosystem dynamics for establishing ecological baselines useful for future comparisons in rapidly changing environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-703ee7894a404f7b93b8a6ec653bd85d |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-703ee7894a404f7b93b8a6ec653bd85d2025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-06-0117744310.3390/d17070443Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central AlaskaTimothy C. Mullet0Almo Farina1Kenai Fjords National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Seward, AK 99664, USADepartment of Pure and Applied Sciences, Urbino University, 61029 Urbino, ItalyAs climate change alters subarctic ecosystems and human activities in Alaska, ecological baselines are critical for long-term conservation. We applied an ecoacoustic approach to characterize the ecological conditions of a rapidly deglaciating region in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. Using automated recording units deployed at increasing distances from a road, we collected over 120,000 one-minute audio samples during the tourist seasons of 2021 and 2022. Ecoacoustic indices—Sonic Heterogeneity Index (SHI<sub>tf</sub>), Spectral Sonic Signature (SSS), Weighted Proportion of Occupied Frequencies (wPOF), and Normalized Difference Sonic Heterogeneity Index (NDSHI)—were used to measure spatio-temporal patterns of the sonoscape. Results revealed higher sonic heterogeneity near the road attributed to technophony (vehicles) and geophony (wind) that spanned across the frequency spectrum, masking mid-high frequency biophony. Seasonal phenology and diel variations reflected ecological and human rhythms, including biophony from the dawn chorus from May–June, technophony from vehicle-based tourism from July–September, and decreased sonic activity in the form of geophonic ambience in October. Low-frequency geophonies were prevalent throughout the sonoscape with more natural sounds at greater distances from the road. Our findings demonstrate the benefits of using ecoacoustic methods to assess ecosystem dynamics for establishing ecological baselines useful for future comparisons in rapidly changing environments.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/443Alaskaclimate changeecoacousticsKenai Peninsulapost-glacial successionnational parks |
| spellingShingle | Timothy C. Mullet Almo Farina Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska Diversity Alaska climate change ecoacoustics Kenai Peninsula post-glacial succession national parks |
| title | Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska |
| title_full | Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska |
| title_fullStr | Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska |
| title_short | Ecoacoustic Baseline of a Successional Subarctic Ecosystem Post-Glaciation Amidst Climate Change in South-Central Alaska |
| title_sort | ecoacoustic baseline of a successional subarctic ecosystem post glaciation amidst climate change in south central alaska |
| topic | Alaska climate change ecoacoustics Kenai Peninsula post-glacial succession national parks |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/443 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT timothycmullet ecoacousticbaselineofasuccessionalsubarcticecosystempostglaciationamidstclimatechangeinsouthcentralalaska AT almofarina ecoacousticbaselineofasuccessionalsubarcticecosystempostglaciationamidstclimatechangeinsouthcentralalaska |