Transcript How does Arctic ice affect shipping and navigation and how may this change in the future? Bullers Wood School, Chislehurst, Kent Will this image be an increasingly.

How does Arctic ice affect
shipping and navigation and how
may this change in the future?
Bullers Wood School,
Chislehurst,
Kent
Will this image be an
increasingly common
sight in the waters of
the Arctic….?
Discussion topics:
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Ice in the Arctic
Ice and navigation
The impact of the seasons on the sea–ice
Current shipping and navigation in the Arctic
What would the benefits of less sea-ice be?
Different opinions about shipping and
navigation in the Arctic
Ice in the Arctic
• The ‘Arctic’ consists of the
Arctic ocean and the land
area surrounding it
including parts of the
Russia, Canada, Greenland
and Norway
• For much of the year the
Arctic Ocean is covered
with sea-ice
• Ice comes in different
shapes and sizes – the
indigenous people have
around 80 terms for the
ice!!!
Arctic Ice facts and formation (1)
• Average Arctic ice thickness is over 2 metres, but
it varies….
– Newly formed ice: few millimetres
– Older ice: over 10 metres
– Canadian Archipelago ice: 6 – 8 metres
• In the winter salt water freezes at -1.8 degrees
Celsius
• The frozen seawater floats freely in the ocean,
moved by wind and water currents. It is called
drift ice
• Large chunks of drift ice are called ice floes – and
can measure up to 9.7 kilometres across
• When drift ice joins together it’s called pack ice
Arctic Ice facts and formation (2)
• Sea ice has different stages of development,
related to thickness and age. By age there are
two distinctions: first year ice, and multiyear
ice.
– First year ice: thicker than 30 centimetres but
melts in the summer season
– Multiyear ice: survives the summer melt, reforms
and gains in thickness: 2 to 4 meters thick
• 2 early forming types of ice are:
– ‘Pancake ice’
– ‘Grease ice’
Pancake Ice
• Pancake ice is called this because it consists of
round pieces of ice which can be quite thick
• Each piece of ice looks like a pancake
• The pancakes are formed by:
• flat but hard pieces of ice break off
• These ice pieces are made round by the action of
turbulent, high energy waves
Grease Ice
• Grease ice is very thin and quite soupy
• It is formed by ice crystals being blown out of
the water and being clumped together
• The reason it is called grease ice is because its
consistency resembles oil slicks
Some of the 80 types of ice…
Greenlandic/Kalaallit
1. Siku
2. Aakkarneq
3. Qilliliaq
4. Sikuliaq
5. Maniillat
6. Tuaaq
7. Siku
8. Nutarmeq
9. Iluliaq
10. Sikup qaava
English
Sea ice
Current formed sea ice
Sea ice, with no snow on
it
Sea ice – thin ice
Uneven, pack ice
Sea ice connected with
land
Ice on a lake
Thin ice formed in a
closed crack
Ice berg
Ice expanse
The future of Arctic Ice…
According to a NASA report (2006) about multiyear ice:
“long term we find a reduction of between
6.4% and 7.8% per decade” (Dr Nghiem)
(Data determined using the scatterometer on
Nasa's Quikscat satellite)
How does ice stop shipping?
• Ice – particularly pack ice - stops shipping by building up in the
Arctic winter months, making it impassable for ships
• As a result, The Northern sea-route and North West Passage,
both connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is only
passable during the Summer months
• However there may be large lumps of ice lurking beneath the
waters surface
• These lumps are potentially problematic if one makes contact
with the hull (bottom) of the ship…..
• There could be a torn hull,
• The propeller may get damaged
• The ship may sink (we have all seen the film ‘Titanic’)
• all the cargo will get scattered and any crew may drown
• great loss in financial terms
What impact do the seasons have on sea ice?
• During the winter months the Arctic is tilted away from the Sun
and therefore receives little heat, light or radiation
• This means sea-ice builds up in the colder months, as the
temperature is below the freezing point of water
• In the Arctic Summer the area is subjected to 24 hour daylight,
causing the sea-ice to break apart and melt
• Global Warming has meant the melting of sea-ice has increased
due to the increase of the atmospheric temperature
Annual Growth and Retreat of
the Polar Ice packs.
How do the seasons affect
Shipping in the Arctic?
• Between late June / early July and early August the North
Pole is titled towards the Sun
• During this summer period, the Arctic is constantly being
bathed in the Sun’s heat, causing the ice to melt and the
seas to flow more freely
• As a result, between August and early October, ships could
potentially pass through the Arctic Ocean because most
hidden ice has melted leaving a safer route – largely ice
free
• However, as yet, the ice free period is not long enough to
make use of the Arctic for commercial shipping a realistic
financial option
Current Navigation and
Shipping in the Arctic
• Despite the dangers, shipping and navigation does happen in
the Arctic Ocean. Even in Winter months!!
• Shipping is assisted by:
– Ice-breakers
– Ice-navigators
Ice-Breakers
• Ice-breaker ships are used to
break the ice in the Arctic so
that ships can get through the
Arctic safely
• Icebreaker features:
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They are very heavy
They have sloping bows
The bow is heavily re-inforced
They are very powerful
• The icebreaker's bow passes
over and on top of the ice at
speed
• The bow then forces down
heavily on the ice, breaking it up
• As the ice-breaker moves
forward, this leaves an ice free
channel through the ice-pack
Ice Navigators
• Ice navigators work on ice breakers or on ice class
ships
• They help and advise the captain when they are
crossing through the Arctic
• Their information comes from maps and satellites,
such as Radarsat – 1 and MODIS
• When an Ice Navigator is on the ship there are many
things they have to endure such as:
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Hypothermia
Stress
Darkness
Frostbite
Ice on the ship
Current Navigation in the Arctic
• There are 2 shipping routes through the
Arctic which connect the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans:
– The Northwest passage through the Canadian
archipelago
– The Northern Sea route which follows the
coastline of Norway, Russia and Japan
• Both routes enter the Pacific Ocean through
the Bering Straits
The Northern Sea Route
• The Northern Sea route provides more economic benefit than
the North west passage
• It is an easier and shorter route
• It also provides access to oil fields in the Arctic
• The Northern sea route is ice free for 8 weeks but with icebreaker assistance, ice-strengthened vessels can sail during
winter
• The route is used primarily by Russia who also claim jurisdiction
over the waters
The Northwest Passage
• The passage is ‘open’ from July to October
• But it is navigable for ships for only 4 – 6 weeks each summer
• 2007: clear of ice for first time since records began (30 years ago)
according to the European Space Agency
• Currently Canada claims full rights over the parts of the route that
pass through its territory
• This is disputed by the EU and the USA who argue that it should be
an international strait
What would be the
benefits of less sea ice?
• Between 1972 and 1990 the ice extent in the summer prevented
major commercial use of either 2 routes through the Arctic
• The projected ice extent in 2030 would allow much greater use of
the Arctic ocean
• Commercial activities:
– Container shipping
– Oil and gas exploration
– Tourism
Container shipping (1)
• Economies and consumers in Europe and North America
depend on goods made in Asia – especially China
• The majority of goods found on the UK high street were
made in Asia.
• They are shipped from production sites in Asia to markets
in North America and Europe in containers.
• WE rely on the transport of containers
Container shipping (2)
• Using containers on large vessels makes the transport
cost per item much cheaper due to economies of
scale
• However, the economic and environmental cost of
transport increases with increased distance and
delays to the transit…..
Container shipping route
• Containers are currently shipped from Asia to Europe via
Singapore, the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the
Mediterranean Sea
• This general route is followed by all container shipping
companies
The Suez Canal and
the Northern Sea Route
• The Northern Sea Route goes to the North
of Eurasia through the Arctic and South to
Europe
• This would save time and resources
• The Suez Canal Route is longer and there
are potential delays in congested Asian
ports and the Suez canal
A New route option? (1)
• Using the Northern sea route
would reduce journey lengths
by 10 days. (from North Asia
to Northwestern Europe)
• Ships currently travel 12840
miles from Japan to Europe
via the Suez Canal but if they
use the northern sea route it
would be 5570 miles.
• A reduction of 7270 miles
(source: Jerome Varny,
“Container shipping on the
Northern sea-route”)
A New Route option? (2)
• Commercial use of the Northern sea route or Northwest Passage might
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be a very tiny benefit of global warming.
Reduced distance means reduced fuel consumption
Billions of dollars in transportation costs could be saved each year,
potentially making goods in shops cheaper for consumers
Reduced fuel useage means less fossil fuels are being burnt to create
energy.
In turn this reduces the amount of CO2 being released into our
atmosphere, potentially reducing the contribution of shipping to the
enhanced greenhouse effect
Oil and Gas supply benefits? (1)
• With the increase in Global Warming the Arctic Sea Ice
is melting in greater quantities
• This means that there is easier access to the sea-bed
below
• Russia has staked a claim on the sea-bed beneath the
ice possibly due to the potential of oil / gas reserves
• Russia was so keen to stake their claim that a Russian
submarine was in fact able to break through under the
ice to plant a flag 2 miles beneath the surface of the
ice.
Oil and Gas Supply benefits? (2)
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The dark patches
on the map show
oil/gas reserves.
In the Arctic sea ice
and surrounding
area there is 90
billion barrels of oil
This is enough to
supply the world
for three years at
current
consumption rates
This would be a
massive benefit for
the world because
known reserves are
running out
Oil and Gas Supply benefits? (3)
• Oil produced in Alaska could
move quickly by ship to eastern
North American and European
markets.
• The vast mineral resources of
the Canadian North will be
much easier and economical to
develop.
• This opportunity for fast and
cheap shipping between the
Atlantic and Pacific is one of
just a very small number of
benefits that global warming
might produce.
Tourism Benefits?
• Tourism may increase in the
Arctic because :
– bigger ships can now travel round the
Arctic, meaning more people
– There will be more ports to stop off at
to make the tourist’s trip more
exciting
– The tourists will have a chance to see
the Arctic wildlife in their natural
habitat.
• However, with less sea ice there
is a smaller area of ice habitat
for animals
• This change to the natural
ecosystem may mean that fewer
tourists will want to visit
Opinions about increased use of
the Arctic for shipping
Arctic Council
• an expected increase in shipping threatens to:
• introduce invasive species,
• harm existing marine wildlife through collisions
• lead to damaging oil spills
• Seabirds and polar bear and seal pups are particularly
sensitive to oil and can quickly die of hypothermia if it gets
into their feathers or fur
• Whales, as well as walruses and seals, can have a harder time
communicating, foraging and avoiding prey in noisy waters.
“the Arctic marine environment is especially vulnerable to
potential impacts from marine activity,”
Opinions about increased use of
the Arctic for shipping
• Pablo Clemente-Colón (chief scientist at the National
Ice Centre): the open water in the passages over
Russia, particularly, remains clotted with thick,
dangerous floes and can also close up in a matter of
hours.
• Insurance companies will be reluctant to insure large
commercial vessels due to the ice related risks
• Container shipping companies will still prefer the
longer Suez canal route due to the existing
infrastructure (ports etc) and the difficulties of
replicating them in the Arctic
Our Opinion……
• At present the potential ice risks will make
commercial shipping use of the Arctic too dangerous
(we don’t want another Titanic!!)
• The environmental risks of shipping are too great to
make use of the Arctic for shipping on a regular basis
• We need to protect rare species of wildlife such as:
– Polar bears
– Walruses
• Exploitation of oil and gas reserves will lead to much
environmental degradation
Our Opinion…….
• Use of the Arctic could create lots of geo-political
conflict over the use of resources
• However, it does seem inevitable that the Arctic
ocean will become increasingly used as global
warming results in less sea-ice….
• Therefore it MUST be controlled by a global
organisation