Alicorn Acoustics
A unique name for an expedition, this title seeks to accentuate the issues facing narwhals and all Arctic marine mammals as sea ice melts and anthropogenic noise substantially increases in their habitat.
In 2026 our team of four will sail into the Arctic to conduct research. We've all been here before, many times. But urgency builds with every passing season as the Earth warms and the Arctic's fragile soundscape is being rapidly transformed.
Meet the team, read the research, and please get in touch if you are interested in collaborating.
THE TEAM
Expert Captain Andre Speet—At 80 years of age, Andre's adventures at sea fill volumes. His expertise is unmatched, and his desire to support our one ocean is evident in his generosity. He offers his expedition sailing yacht, Mae West, on a not-for-profit basis to research expeditions such as this. Thank You, Andre!
Musician Tristan Visser—As Tristan plays his bowed guitar (and other instruments) at sea, something beautiful stirs in the human spirit. Feelings of interconnectedness with all things are aroused. Tristan's music illuminates our connections with the whales, other species, with one another, with our Earth home. He listens for signs of connection with the whales as he plays, and these engagements are nothing less than wholly captivating.
Professional Sailor and Research Assistant Basia Pirate (Paradowska)—Working as a professional sailor since 2009, Basia's experience includes tall ships, expedition yachts, and even river cruise ships. She sailed into the Arctic for the first time in 2019 and discovered the importance of this place, assisting the team with Arctic research in 2022 and 2023. Basia knows and understands the maritime community and has a special gift for connecting people and projects.
THE RESEARCH
Summer Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) Occurrence Study Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring
*Please get in touch if you are interested in reading the research proposal
Proposed Route & Timeline
Studying this particular narwhal stock (or sub-stock) involves research in the East Greenland Sea, Fram Strait, the Barents Sea, in Hinlopenstretet, and in the waters surrounding Nordaustlandet.
Summer months are the ideal time to listen for this special narwhal stock’s presence based on the available data. The ~1,800 nautical mile (nm) deployment track will include temporal subsampling involving 24-hour recording windows at 33 locations (dependent on ice conditions and weather).
Embarkation will occur at Isafjordur, Iceland. Deployments will begin in Scoresby Sund in late June. Disembarkation will occur at Longyearbyen at the end of August (or as ice conditions require).
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© 2025 Andrea Lynn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.