Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Ship Traffic in the Canadian Arctic from 1990 to 2015 + Supplementary Appendix 1: Figs. S1–S7 (See Article Tools)

Jackie Dawson,Margaret E Johnston,Stephen E.L Howell,Larissa Pizzolato,Luke Copland

doi:10.14430/arctic4698

Abstract

The limited availability of consistent, longitudinal data sources for marine traffic in Arctic Canada has presented significant challenges for researchers, policy makers, and planners. Temporally and spatially accurate shipping data that reveal historical and current traffic trends are vital to plan safe shipping corridors, develop infrastructure, plan and manage protected areas, and understand the potential environmental and cultural impacts of change, as well as for sovereignty and safety considerations. This study uses a recently developed geospatial database of ship traffic to provide the first synthesized overview of the spatial and temporal variability of different vessel types in Arctic Canada during the 26-year period from 1990 to 2015. This examination shows that, overall, the distance traveled by ships in Arctic Canada nearly tripled (from 364 179 km in 1990 to 918 266 km in 2015), that the largest proportion of ship traffic in the region is from general cargo vessels and government icebreakers (including research ships), and that the fastest growing vessel type by far is pleasure craft (private yachts). Spatial shifts in vessel activity over the last quarter century have favoured areas with active mine sites, as well as the southern route of the Northwest Passage. As a result, some communities, including Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Pond Inlet, and Cambridge Bay, are experiencing greater increases in ship traffic.

Highlights

International marine trade in Canada was valued at $205 billion in 2015 (Council of Canadian Academies, 2017), and it has been estimated that 90% of all goods that are manufactured and purchased globally are shipped at some point by sea (George, 2013)
Canada has the longest coastline in the world: it extends more than 200 000 km and connects three major oceans, the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans (CIA, 2017), making Canada highly reliant upon maritime trade and transport (Council of Canadian Academies, 2017)
The record period exhibits interannual variability, but overall trends indicate a clear increase in shipping activity in Canadian Arctic waters that is consistent with the findings of other studies (Pizzolato et al, 2014, 2016; Eguiluz et al, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

International marine trade in Canada was valued at $205 billion in 2015 (Council of Canadian Academies, 2017), and it has been estimated that 90% of all goods that are manufactured and purchased globally are shipped at some point by sea (George, 2013). Communities across the territory rely heavily upon ships as a means of transporting goods to service the region, especially considering population growth and changing development needs of communities (Arctic Council, 2009; Prowse et al, 2009; Hodgson et al, 2013; Pelletier and Guy, 2015). With some of the largest untapped natural resource reserves in the world located in the Arctic, increased marine activity due to oil and gas exploration and extraction is a possibility—especially considering current policy decisions to expand offshore exploration and exploitation in the United States areas of the Beaufort Sea (Guy, 2006; Prowse et al, 2009; Pizzolato et al, 2014; CBC, 2017). Marine tourism (both pleasure craft and passenger ships) has rapidly become popular over the past decade, and it is speculated that because of the allure of the Northwest Passage and the growing interest in “last chance” tourism, the demand will continue (Dawson et al, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017; Lasserre and Pelletier, 2011; Hodgson et al, 2013; Lasserre and Têtu, 2015; Johnston et al, 2017)

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