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Maritime transport plays a crucial role in international trade. As the number and tonnage of ships continue to increase, traditional shipping routes are becoming progressively congested. The development of Arctic shipping routes has the potential to significantly improve trade efficiency and decrease reliance on traditional shipping routes. At the same time, the harsh navigation conditions in the Arctic pose a huge challenge to ships crossing the Arctic shipping routes. To address the above issues, this paper reviews the natural, navigational environment and unique navigational modes of ships in the Arctic shipping routes. Furthermore, the navigational risks caused by factors including low temperature, sea ice, poor visibility, communication, lack of infrastructure, lack of navigational experience, lack of historical data, high collision risk, and complex navigational environment are summarized and analyzed, providing a reference for researchers and policymakers to conduct research related to Arctic shipping routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea ice information has traditionally been associated with Manual Ice Charts, however the demand for accurate forecasts is increasing. This study presents an improved operational forecast system for the Arctic sea ice focusing on the Greenlandic waters. In addition, we present different observational sea ice products and conduct inter-comparisons. First, a re-analysis forced by ERA5 from 2000 to 2021 is evaluated to ensure that the forecast system is stable over time and to provide statistics for the users. The output is similar to the initial conditions for a forecast. Secondly, the sea ice forecast system is tested and evaluated based on two re-forecasts forced by the high resolution ECMWF-HRES forecast for the period from January 2019 to September 2021. Both the re-analysis and the re-forecasts include assimilation of sea surface temperatures and sea ice concentrations. We validate the re-analysis and the re-forecast systems for sea ice concentration against different remotely sensed observational products by computing the Integrated Ice Edge Error metric at the initial conditions of each system. The results reveal that the re-analysis and the re-forecast perform well. However, the summertime retreat of sea ice near the western Greenlandic coast seems to be delayed a few days compared with the observations. Importantly, part of the bias associated with the model representation of the sea ice edge is associated with the observational errors due to limitations in the passive microwave product in summertime and also near the coast. An inter-comparison of the observational sea ice products suggests that the model performance could be improved by assimilation of sea ice concentrations derived from a newly-developed automated sea ice product. In addition, analysis of persistence shows that the re-forecast has better skill than the persistence forecast for the vast majority of the time.

Since the 1960s, warming air and sea surface temperatures have led to decreasing sea ice extent and longer periods of open water in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), together with changes in glacier discharge patterns. An important question, therefore, is whether there is a relationship between changing sea ice conditions, glacier dynamics, and iceberg production in this region. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (Radarsat-1, Radarsat-2, and ALOS PALSAR) and optical (Landsat 7 and 8) satellite imagery, iceberg plume events and sea ice break-up/freeze-up dates between 1997 and 2015 are investigated for 40 tidewater glaciers around the Prince of Wales (POW) Icefield, Ellesmere Island. Results show a clear relationship between the presence of sea ice and the production of icebergs, with ~49% of total iceberg plume events occurring during the 3–4 month long summer open water season and ~51% of events when sea ice was present the remaining 8–9 months of the year. There is no clear evidence of recent increases in iceberg production on a regional basis, but on a local, individual glacier scale there has been a connection between periods of increased iceberg plume events and: (a) acceleration in the surface velocity of Trinity and Wykeham glaciers; (b) increase in terminus retreat rates for glaciers which have not accelerated in flow speed over the past ~5–10 years. Comparisons with ocean temperature, surface air temperature from NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, and tidal data showed no clear relationship with iceberg plume events.

Arctic ecosystems are changing rapidly in response to climate warming. While Arctic mammals are highly evolved to these extreme environments, particularly with respect to their stress axis, some species may have limited capacity to adapt to this change. We examined changes in key components of the stress axis (cortisol and its carrier protein—corticosteroid binding globulin [CBG]) in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from western Hudson Bay (N = 300) over a 33 year period (1983–2015) during which time the ice‐free period was increasing. Changing sea ice phenology limits spring hunting opportunities and extends the period of onshore fasting. We assessed the response of polar bears to a standardized stressor (helicopter pursuit, darting, and immobilization) during their onshore fasting period (late summer–autumn) and quantified the serum levels of the maximum corticosteroid binding capacity (MCBC) of CBG, the serum protein that binds cortisol strongly, and free cortisol (FC). We quantified bear condition (age, sex, female with cubs or not, fat condition), sea ice (breakup in spring–summer, 1 year lagged freeze‐up in autumn), and duration of fasting until sample collection as well as cumulative impacts of the latter environmental traits from the previous year. Data were separated into "good" years (1983–1990) when conditions were thought to be optimal and "poor" years (1991–2015) when sea ice conditions deteriorated and fasting on land was extended. MCBC explained 39.4% of the variation in the good years, but only 28.1% in the poor ones, using both biological and environmental variables. MCBC levels decreased with age. Changes in FC were complex, but more poorly explained. Counterintuitively, MCBC levels increased with increased time onshore, 1 year lag effects, and in poor ice years. We conclude that MCBC is a biomarker of stress in polar bears and that the changes we document are a consequence of climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1960s, warming air and sea surface temperatures have led to decreasing sea ice extent and longer periods of open water in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), together with changes in glacier discharge patterns. An important question, therefore, is whether there is a relationship between changing sea ice conditions, glacier dynamics, and iceberg production in this region. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (Radarsat-1, Radarsat-2, and ALOS PALSAR) and optical (Landsat 7 and 8) satellite imagery, iceberg plume events and sea ice break-up/freeze-up dates between 1997 and 2015 are investigated for 40 tidewater glaciers around the Prince of Wales (POW) Icefield, Ellesmere Island. Results show a clear relationship between the presence of sea ice and the production of icebergs, with ~49% of total iceberg plume events occurring during the 3–4 month long summer open water season and ~51% of events when sea ice was present the remaining 8–9 months of the year. There is no clear evidence of recent increases in iceberg production on a regional basis, but on a local, individual glacier scale there has been a connection between periods of increased iceberg plume events and: (a) acceleration in the surface velocity of Trinity and Wykeham glaciers; (b) increase in terminus retreat rates for glaciers which have not accelerated in flow speed over the past ~5–10 years. Comparisons with ocean temperature, surface air temperature from NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, and tidal data showed no clear relationship with iceberg plume events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Water polynya (~76°N to 79°N and 70°W to 80°W) is known to be an important habitat for several species of marine mammals and sea birds. For millennia, it has provided the basis for subsistence hunting and human presence in the northernmost part of Baffin Bay. The abundance of air-breathing top predators also represents a potential source of nutrient cycling that maintains primary production. In this study, aerial surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010 were used for the first time to map the distribution and estimate the abundance of top predators during spring in the North Water. Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas) were not detected north of 77°20′N but were found along the coast of West Greenland and offshore in the middle of the North Water with an abundance estimated at 2245 (95 % CI 1811-2783). Narwhals ( Monodon monoceros) were widely distributed on the eastern side of the North Water with an estimate of abundance of 7726 (3761-15 870). Walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus) were found across the North Water over both shallow and deep (>500 m) water with an estimated abundance of 1499 (1077-2087). Bearded ( Erignathus barbatus) and ringed seals ( Phoca hispida) used the large floes of ice in the southeastern part of the North Water for hauling out. Most polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) were detected in the southern part of the polynya. The abundances of bearded and ringed seals were 6016 (3322-10 893) and 9529 (5460-16 632), respectively, and that of polar bears was 60 (12-292). Three sea bird species were distributed along the Greenland coast (eiders, Somateria spp.), in leads and cracks close to the Greenland coast (little auks, Alle alle) or widely in open water (thick-billed guillemots, Uria lomvia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]