Alterations of the heaviest ice conditions along Sabetta-Bering Strait route

Abstract

AARI has unique archive of ice charts, which were made by recognition of satellite images, their composition and vectorization. The paper is considered methodology and preliminary results of computer processing of vector ice charts from the archive. The archive covers the period since 1997. The charts handling is processed in ArcGIS. The article presents some results of ice navigation conditions analysis within the standard route “Sabetta Port – the Bering Strait” for April and May, that is temporal interval of the heaviest conditions of ice navigation. There have been calculated conditional length of various ice age/age and form gradations for the route as a whole. For a homogeneous ice zone of the route the conditional length of an ice age gradation means result of multiplication of the gradation partial ice concentration at the zone length. The values were calculated for various ice forms (floe dimensions) of the ice age categories. The research revealed essential enhancement of the ice navigation conditions for the period 1998-2020. Nevertheless even complete disappearance of the old ice from the route does not mean absence of nip danger.