Arctic Shipping Routes

The Bering Strait, located between Russia and Alaska, is a frequently traveled passage for a myriad of shipping containers and oil rigs, moving minerals from northern Alaska and Siberia, down to lower latitudes. As the home of many native Alaskan villages, this region is vital to Indigenous communities, but shipping traffic can pose a threat to animal habitats, oceanic health, and local culture.

The shipping lanes appear in blue.

Increasing Traffic

This graph is titles Actic Sea Ice Extent (Area of ocean with at least 15% sea ice) and has an X axis labeled with the months of the year, and a y axis titles "Extent in millions of square kilometers." has a dark grey area showing the interquartile range of Arctic Sea Ice from 1981-2010, with a dark grey line in the middle for the median value. Multicolored lines show the average ice cover by month for each year between 2012 and 2021. The multicolored lines are noticably below the dark grey area, indicating a substantial decrease in sea ice cover.National Snow & Ice Data Center

As shown in the graph above, warming temperatures have had dramatic impacts on sea ice cover in the Arctic. When sea ice melts, the Bering Strait has become more hospitable to large shipping rigs. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of cargo ships traversing this region has nearly doubled. Without a way to track these ships, local hunters are at risk of colliding or being run down by massive cargo ships which dominate the waters around them.

The shipping lanes appear in orange.

Threats to Wildlife

undefinedNational Parks Service

Walruses, seabirds, and seals, like the ringed seal pictured above, thrive in the Arctic waters of the Bering Strait. Their meat makes up a substantial part of the native diet, while their valuable hides are used to make waterproof mittens, coats, and other garments. Important animals for native culture are regularly threatened by collisions with the vessel, while migrating creatures may be thrown of course by light and noise pollution.

The habtat of the ringed seal appears in a bright yellow with a high opacity, so it appears green against the dark blue background of the ocean.

Existential Threats

Passing ships, often large oil rigs, do not just threaten native wildlife. They also pose an existential threat of oil spill and long-term pollution in the region. The only three coast guard locations in Alaska are located on the opposite side of the state which delays emergency response times and puts these villages at direct risk.

Three coast guard stations are located in Eastern Alaska. They are symbolized with yellow circles behind a black anchor.

As globalization accelerates climate change, travel throughout the frozen Arctic is becoming not just feasible, but profitable. The native people, wildlife, and history that have existed in this region for millennia are coming under attack by a fleet of ships, serving the material demands of modern society. Without intervention, education, and conservation, these regions face a current, pressing existential threat.