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Sailing in the Arctic is easy?

Sam Purdon

Updated: 5 days ago

As I have mentioned before, I am a bit hooked on Alluring Arctic's voyage through the North West Passage.


A part of the world most would never imagine visiting.


This trip highlights fascinating processes in this region, such as the moving sea ice and the challenges this creates for navigation.


It also flagged something interesting, the change of this sea ice due to climate change.


It has been thought that the North West Passage would become more viable for shipping because of melting sea ice.


But don't be fooled, a study suggests that shipping opportunities are still very hard to predict due to the unpredictability of ice formation.


The area where the ice forms is also key, and the problem areas are known as choke point.


So although most of the passage could be ice-free depending on the year, these choke points can still scupper the plan.


This ice can be mature ice formations moving south, or fresh young ice that has recently formed.


The point is, that the assumption is that these shipping routes will become more viable, but there is a lot more research and time required to fully understand it.


I suppose until then, the wildlife can enjoy relative peace and quiet.


 

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