A new study finds that melting Arctic sea ice is making the Northwest Passage route from Europe to Asia through northern Canada more dangerous for ships to navigate.
As the Arctic warms, older, thicker sea ice that used to get trapped near the North Pole is drifting southward into the path of ships traversing the Northwest Passage.
Younger, thinner ice that once held the older ice in place is disappearing due to climate change, leaving the fragmented older ice floes to drift with currents and winds.
These loose chunks of aged, dense sea ice pose a significant collision threat to cargo vessels, fishing boats, and cruise ships using the Northwest Passage.
The study found the navigable period in the Eastern Beaufort Sea along the passage shrunk from 27 weeks in 2007 to just 13 weeks in 2021, as dangerous sea ice conditions arrived earlier in the season.
Researchers warn it is dangerous to assume sea ice loss will automatically make the Northwest Passage safer and more accessible, as conditions are becoming more unpredictable and hazardous in the region.
Source: Yale Environment 360
