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Climate Change Assessment over the Arctic Region
Published in Neloy Khare, Climate Change in the Arctic, 2022
The main consequences of global warming on the Arctic are the increase in temperatures (air and sea), loss of sea ice and melting of the Greenland ice sheet with a related cold temperature anomaly, observed since the 1970s (Foster 2012; Slivka 2012; Goldenberg 2012). Ongoing climate change over the Arctic region is also expected to impact ocean circulation changes, increased input of freshwater (Graeter 2018; Rabe et al. 2011) and ocean acidification (Qi et al. 2017), potential methane releases through the thawing of permafrost and methane clathrates (Schuur et al. 2015).
Shifting Russian energy geopolitics
Published in Tina Soliman Hunter, Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui, Penelope Crossley, Gloria M. Alvarez, Routledge Handbook of Energy Law, 2020
Slawomir Raszewski, Zuzanna Nowak
Climate change in the Arctic is provoking an unprecedented increase in temperature, followed by significant melting and retreating of ice. For the Russian Government, however, ice disappearing from the Arctic constitutes an unparalleled opportunity for new developments in the region including economic, political and military installations. Furthermore, development of the Russian Arctic is perceived as a long-term endeavour, ‘essential for the future of the Russian Federation’.35
Implications of Arctic shipping emissions for marine environment
Published in Maritime Policy & Management, 2022
Qiong Chen, Ying-En Ge, Adolf K.Y. Ng, Yui-yip Lau, Xuezong Tao
Based on the available data and the IMO’s policy or regulations, we are proposing the following recommendations: It is essential to improve the shipping conditions in the Arctic region so that ships may sail at a higher speed or decrease demand for power, which then reduces energy consumption and emissions from Arctic shipping.It is essential to closely monitor tankers sailing in the Arctic and vessels operating in the Norwegian Sea by enforcing more stringent measures if they have adverse environmental impacts. Previously reported data indicate that there were frequent tanker activities in the Arctic. The occurrence of oil spill would be ecologically disastrous to the region. In addition, the heat map of vessel pollution shows that emissions from the vessels in the Arctic are mainly in the Norwegian Sea. Therefore, we propose to make a close monitoring of oil tankers in the Arctic and vessels in the Norwegian Sea.The total emissions from global shipping may be reduced because the shift from the traditional routes to the Arctic routes greatly reduces the journey distance and time and energy consumption. This shift is happening as climate change makes the Arctic suitable for shipping longer during a year.
A comparison of two ship performance models against full-scale measurements on a cargo ship on the Northern Sea Route
Published in Ships and Offshore Structures, 2021
Zhiyuan Li, Christopher Ryan, Luofeng Huang, Li Ding, Jonas W. Ringsberg, Giles Thomas
A strong interest in the topic of Arctic shipping has unfolded over recent years, fuelled primarily by the effects of global climate change on the Arctic, with a widespread reduction of the extent, thickness and compactness of its sea ice, accompanied by the opening of numerous shipping routes showing immense opportunity. This comes hand-in-hand with the challenges of understanding the ice dynamics as well as ship performance within the new Arctic environment. Facing these challenges, the present paper integrated two ship performance models with ice resistance algorithms into a Voyage Planning Tool (VPT). The VPT successfully simulated shipping routes via the Arctic sea with sea ice and other relevant environmental parameters taken into account. The comparison with the measurements indicates that both ship performance models serve the purpose of voyage planning tool and predict ship fuel consumption with reasonable accuracy. Meanwhile, the discrepancy between the measurements and simulations indicates further study in both the models and the uncertainties related to the measurements. In addition, the typical transit scenarios in summer Arctic conditions presented in this study prove that a VPT with viable ship performance models facilitates Arctic shipping in a safe and sustainable way.
Simulation of a ship operating in an open-water ice channel
Published in Ships and Offshore Structures, 2021
Luofeng Huang, Minghao Li, Tuomas Romu, Azam Dolatshah, Giles Thomas
Since the resistance increment induced on ships operating in ice channels by brash ice is significant, various techniques have been developed for modern icebreakers to clean the broken ice fragments produced during the ice-breaking process. One such method is turning the azimuth-propulsion units inwards by 15∼30 degrees, called ‘toe-in’ mode, with which the flushing effect can push the broken ice pieces under the ice sheets, thus cleaning the channel and making it slightly wider. Such technology is effective for negating the brash ice resistance component, as well as reducing the chance of blockages in the new channel due to freezing of the broken ice pieces (Koskinen and Savikurki 1993). This approach, therefore, results in an open water channel between two large ice sheets, as shown in Figure 1(b), an operational environment for shipping in cold climates that will increase in likelihood. Particularly, with the climate change in the Arctic that involves ice reduction in both extent and thickness (Stroeve et al. 2012; Laxon et al. 2013), new shipping routes are opening and vast quantities of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals are becoming extractible (Smith and Stephenson 2013; Wadhams 2017), and yet in the first half of twenty-first century the shipping season will remain variable and unreliable, continuing to require ice-breaker assistance (Melia et al. 2017). Large-scale ship operations in such ice channels are expected, with which the importance of studying this case is raising.