ST. PETERSBURG, March 3. /TASS/. Complicated ice conditions for navigation along the Northern Sea Route may remain in the warm season of 2023. The most problematic situations are forecasted in the Laptev Sea's west and the East Siberian Sea's east, the press service of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg), told TASS.
"AARI scientists say it is highly probable heavy ice will stay in certain areas of the Northern Sea Route in the summer navigation in 2023," the press service said. "The most complicated ice conditions may be in the western part of the Laptev Sea and in the eastern part of the East Siberian Sea."
The most problematic conditions are developing in those areas of the Northern Sea Route due to the accumulation of two-year-old ice that has remained since last year's summer melting. These powerful ices cause problems in leading ships. Additionally, last autumn, there increased the dense annual ice of up to 1 meter thick. These observations have prompted to the AARI scientists a high probability those heavy ice massifs on the Northern Sea Route will remain in the coming summer.
While complicated ice conditions have been developing in the central seas of the Northern Sea Route, in the Kara and Chukchi Seas have formed navigation conditions easy for the winter period. The ice thickness has reduced, which is a good indicator that allows hoping for relatively light ice conditions in those areas.
"The climate and ice conditions in the Arctic seas have been highly variable lately. Hence noticeably increases the role of high-quality and timely hydrometeorology forecasts, without which it is impossible to have safe and efficient navigation in the Arctic," AARI's Director Alexander Makarov said. "We, as a scientific institute working on forecasts of the ice situations in high latitudes, have been facing the task to ensure year-round and safe navigation, a smooth flow of information about the situation on this route, including in the eastern sector, which has never been done earlier."
The scientists base the conclusions on the ice observations, which the Institute conducted in the autumn and winter of 2022 and in early 2023. The obtained data is used to make preliminary estimations of problems during the upcoming navigation and of possible developments of ice conditions during the summer navigation period. The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute is the world's leading scientific center to study the Earth's polar areas. The Institute carries out the entire cycle of works in high latitudes in the interests of the Russian Federation and commercial companies.