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Navigating in the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic can be difficult and dangerous.
However, with the warmer climate, Arctic ice is melting, so shipping companies are paying attention to whether melting makes navigation easier in the region.
But Jackie Dawson, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa who studies Arctic shipping, said the impact is complex.
Dawson: “Although we see melting sea ice, we’re actually seeing big, huge Iceland and cracks of ice packs, and those… smaller ice cubes flow especially to the Northwest Passage, they’re choking those small areas you have to pass.”
Vessels ranging from fishing boats to yachts and tankers can be in trouble.
They may not be accessible to boats that provide food to remote communities.
Dawson: “A few years ago we saw some communities in some western Canada where supply vessels couldn't get them…that means having to fly food in. …The food prices in these communities are absolutely astronomy.”
So, she said, melting sea ice overall can make ship traffic more, but it also makes the situation more unreliable and dangerous in some areas.
Report Credit: Sarah Kennedy/Chavobart Digital Media
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