Space-based technology could help as Arctic warms

Space-based services could help us deal with the challenges of an Arctic radically altered by climate change, researchers believe.

A warming, melting Arctic is likely to attract more human activity, whether in the form of more oil and gas drilling, new shipping routes or changed fishery patterns. That increase in activity will create new risks, both for people who live and work in the region and for the Arctic environment itself.

The solution to managing those risks lies in space, according to many scientists. In fact, international researchers and decision-makers recently met in Stockholm to discuss such space-based services during a workshop on “Space and the Arctic.”

“New space assets are crucial for improving marine communications in many regions of the Arctic Ocean in order to improve search and rescue and environmental response activities,” said Lawson Brigham of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “One key AMSA recommendation is the need for a comprehensive Arctic marine traffic awareness system; only space assets in the long-term can provide the coverage necessary to achieve effective monitoring and tracking of Arctic ships.”

The AMSA (for “Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment”) report, prepared by the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group on behalf of the Arctic Council, is designed to educate and inform people about the current state of Arctic marine use and future challenges. It focuses primarily on Arctic marine safety and marine environmental protection

Brigham continued, “Improved space sensors measuring sea-ice thickness, mapping snow cover and tracking icebergs will be increasingly important to Arctic ship safety and route optimisation. Continued satellite monitoring is also central to recording the retreat of sea ice and other changes to the cryosphere in a warming Arctic.”

Experts attending the “Space and the Arctic” workshop discussed ways in which space-based technologies could help with communication, environmental monitoring, early warning systems and navigation and vessel tracking in the area. They also drafted a set of conclusions and recommendations for how space technology could help Europe meet its objectives in the Arctic.