Session: 07-01-01 Arctic Sea Transportation and Environmental Impact

Paper Number: 120865

120865 - Analyzing Ship Traffic Activities and Their Environmental Impact on the Northeast Passage 

The Arctic ice has been observed to be decreasing both in terms of extent and thickness due to global warming. The ice melt in the Arctic region has generated a great opportunity for ships to sail in the Arctic. As such, a significant growth of ship activities in this region has created ever-increasing air pollution, which has had an adverse effect on the maritime Arctic ecosystem. Due to the fragility of the Arctic marine environment, it is critical to conduct a thorough analysis of the ship activities in the Arctic and assess their environmental effects on the Arctic.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distribution and behavior of ocean vessels sailing on the Northeast Passage and to determine the impacts of their emissions. The study presents a comprehensive shipping emission inventory based on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data between 2020 and 2022. These datasets, combined with a bottom-up model for estimating pollution emissions, enable us to analyze the level of pollution generated by vessels in the Arctic region. The results indicate that the Norwegian and Barents Seas were determined as the points with the lowest air quality due to heavy traffic. We concluded that the ship emissions do not spread homogeneously throughout the region.

Presenting Author: Xinjia Gao Shanghai Maritime University

Presenting Author Biography: Xinjia Gao, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the College of Transportation and Communication, Shanghai Maritime University. The research interests lie in the areas of shipping management, green emission reduction for ships, and maritime traffic safety.

Authors:

Xinjia Gao Shanghai Maritime University
Meiyu Li Shanghai Maritime University
Qifeng Yu Shanghai Maritime University