But as climate change causes global temperatures to rise, less and less sea ice is covering the Arctic Ocean each year. Narwhals are left vulnerable without the ice, which historically provided them with safe areas to roam out of reach of their natural predators, killer whales. And humans are taking advantage of the clearer water, searching and drilling for oil and hauling cargo. So as Arctic sea ice shrinks, a new challenge emerges: noise pollution from human activity. The thrum of engines and other man-made sounds threaten narwhals ability to locate food, communicate with other narwhals, and use echolocation to navigate while migrating.
How can people reduce noise pollution in the Arctic Ocean to help them? Follow along as scientists study the effects of noise pollution on narwhals and work to ensure they have a hope-filled future.
Sandra Markle is the author of numerous award-winning books for children. A former elementary science teacher, she is a nationally-known science education consultant. Markle has received many honors for her series Animal Predators, Animal Scavengers, and Animal Prey. Several titles have been named as National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, and Animal Predators was honored as a Top 10 Youth Nonfiction Series by Booklist. Over 500 schools participate in Markle's Book Explorers program which provides free resource-packed emails and classroom activities. Markle lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband, photographer Skip Jeffery.