As Arctic ice vanishes, maritime traffic booms fuel climate crisis
When a Russian gas tanker sliced through the icy waters of the Arctic in the middle of winter four years ago, it became clear global shipping routes would be forever changed.
The Christophe de Margerie vessel, named after the former CEO of French oil company Total, made its way from eastern China through the Bering Sea, eventually docking at a remote Arctic port in Siberia in February 2021.
For the first time in history, global warming caused by humans allowed a ship to navigate through Arctic winter ice.
The Arctic has been warming four times faster than anywhere else on the planet since 1979, according to multiple scientific studies. Melting sea ice is opening up paths for increased shipping and other vessel traffic in the region, especially along the Northern Sea Route, the Arctic shortcut between Europe and Asia that stretches more than 9,000 kilometres.
Shipping seasons are also being prolonged as a result of the warming climate.
But with more traffic comes more environmental degradation. The consequences are dire, particularly for climate heating, loss of biodiversity and pollution. And since the Arctic is a key regulator of the Earth's climate, what happens in this region can be felt thousands of kilometres away.
A vicious cycle
It's a vicious cycle. As sea ice melts and opens new routes for maritime traffic in the Arctic, the environmental fallout caused by vessels burning fossil fuels adds to global warming, which in turn melts more sea ice.
A perfect example of this is black carbon. It's a sooty material emitted from gas and diesel engines that aren't completely combusted. Not only does black carbon pollute the air with particulate matter, but because of its ability to absorb light as heat, it contributes to climate change by warming the air.
When black carbon is deposited on ice in the Arctic, it takes away its ability to reflect heat.
'The black colour deposited on the white ice means the ice then absorbs more sunlight, leading to more melting,' explained Sammie Buzzard, a polar scientist at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at Northumbria University.
The use of heavy fuel oil, leftovers from the bottom of the barrel that lead to high black carbon emissions, grew by 75 percent in the Arctic in just four years, between 2015 and 2019. On the opposite end of the planet, in Antarctica, its use has been banned since 2011.
Black carbon is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, after CO2.
'Lots of Arctic ice gets covered, and anything that changes the colour of the ice or causes it to melt also removes a key part of the ecosystem,' Buzzard said.
Busy routes
Almost all types of maritime traffic are on the rise in the Arctic, whether for tourism or transportation. Fishing boats are by far the most common type on ship in the Arctic, followed by cargo ships and bulk carriers. Between 2013 and 2023, every type of ship aside from oil tankers and research vessels took to the Arctic in higher numbers.
Not only are there an increasing number of ships in the Arctic Ocean, but they are also navigating over greater distances. In the span of a decade, the total distance vessels covered more than doubled, with an increase of 111 percent.
The area for ships to move safely in open waters of the Arctic route during a 90-day safety window expanded by 35 percent from 1979 to 2018. Every year, the area keeps growing. It's estimated that five percent of global shipping traffic will be diverted to the Arctic route as a result.
Usually, navigating the frozen waters of the Arctic requires an escort well-versed in icebreaking. A boat designed to break open large chunks of ice glides alongside vessels that need to make it through one of the three main shipping routes: the Transpolar Sea Route, the Northwest Passage or the Northern Sea Route.
But according to climate projections, unescorted navigation could be possible as early as 2030 in the summer months.
In the Canadian Arctic, where the Northwest Passage is located, the number of vessels has quadrupled since 1990.
But the exact number of weeks ships can navigate safely through the route is dwindling. Research has found that melting sea ice doesn't necessarily make all Arctic sea routes more accessible. Thin sea ice does indeed melt under global warming, but centuries-old floes break off and are released into the Arctic Ocean, moving southwards and creating choke points, which makes some key points in the Northwest Passage more dangerous and unpredictable.
Still, the overall trend is alarming. Melting sea ice brought on by global warming allowed shipping traffic to increase by 25 percent between 2013 and 2019.
The butterfly effect of the Arctic
The Arctic helps keep the planet's climate in balance. As sea ice perishes and maritime traffic increases, further accelerating global warming, environmental consequences become ever more far-reaching.
'The polar regions act to help cool the rest of the planet through the white ice reflecting energy from the sun back to space,' Buzzard explained. 'They act a bit like a giant freezer for the rest of the planet.'
This has an effect on global temperature. 'Sea ice regulates heat exchange between the atmosphere and ocean, impacting the global circulation of heat,' said Buzzard. '[So] anything that reduces the amount of ice, or darkens it, can mean less energy is reflected, which means extra warming, which then has consequences for the entire planet.'
Some changes are being implemented to slow down this worrying feedback loop. A ban on heavy fuel oil, which releases black carbon, was introduced in July 2024, though some vessels can continue to use it until July 2029.
The UN agency responsible for regulating maritime transport, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), also pledged to reduce emissions by at least 20 percent in the next five years.
But the Clean Arctic Alliance, a group of 21 NGOs who advocate for government action to protect the Arctic's wildlife and its people, insists there is not enough being done to curb the rise of black carbon and methane pollution from shipping in the Arctic. Its lead advisor, Sian Prior, said that 'in recent years, black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping have more than doubled,' in a statement published on 14 May.
For Buzzard, the economic interests of using Arctic shipping routes may be beneficial. But increased traffic must be coupled with strict environmental regulations.
'While there can be a saving both in terms of carbon and time for ships to travel across the Arctic, this is a very fragile ecosystem that is already struggling to cope with changes from human-created climate change,' she said.
'Sea ice not only acts to help cool the planet, it is a habitat for creatures like polar bears that use the ice for hunting,' Buzzard noted. The polar bear, now a mascot for environmental issues in the Arctic, relies on sea ice to hunt and move around to find crucial denning areas. It accounts for over 96 percent of the animal's critical habitat.
Increased traffic also brings noise pollution, which disturbs mammals who travel through these frozen waters, like whales. Pods use sound to find their food, mates, avoid predators and migrate. A recent study found that underwater noise in some places in the Arctic Ocean has doubled in just six years because of increased shipping.
The list of environmental consequences of the maritime traffic boom in the Arctic goes on. Vessels navigating through the Arctic also release air pollutants, flush out sulphur oxide into the ocean through scrubbers that remove the substance from a ship's exhaust, and can leave behind litter.
'There is also the increased risk of pollution from oil spills,' added Buzzard.
As countries such as Russia and China eye the prospect of new exploitation that comes with melting sea ice, and US President Donald Trump covets the resource-rich island of Greenland, time is running out for this fragile environment.
'There needs to be careful regulation to minimise the [environmental] impacts to the area,' stressed Buzzard. 'The consequences won't just stay in the Arctic.'
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France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
As Arctic ice vanishes, maritime traffic booms fuel climate crisis
When a Russian gas tanker sliced through the icy waters of the Arctic in the middle of winter four years ago, it became clear global shipping routes would be forever changed. The Christophe de Margerie vessel, named after the former CEO of French oil company Total, made its way from eastern China through the Bering Sea, eventually docking at a remote Arctic port in Siberia in February 2021. For the first time in history, global warming caused by humans allowed a ship to navigate through Arctic winter ice. The Arctic has been warming four times faster than anywhere else on the planet since 1979, according to multiple scientific studies. Melting sea ice is opening up paths for increased shipping and other vessel traffic in the region, especially along the Northern Sea Route, the Arctic shortcut between Europe and Asia that stretches more than 9,000 kilometres. Shipping seasons are also being prolonged as a result of the warming climate. But with more traffic comes more environmental degradation. The consequences are dire, particularly for climate heating, loss of biodiversity and pollution. And since the Arctic is a key regulator of the Earth's climate, what happens in this region can be felt thousands of kilometres away. A vicious cycle It's a vicious cycle. As sea ice melts and opens new routes for maritime traffic in the Arctic, the environmental fallout caused by vessels burning fossil fuels adds to global warming, which in turn melts more sea ice. A perfect example of this is black carbon. It's a sooty material emitted from gas and diesel engines that aren't completely combusted. Not only does black carbon pollute the air with particulate matter, but because of its ability to absorb light as heat, it contributes to climate change by warming the air. When black carbon is deposited on ice in the Arctic, it takes away its ability to reflect heat. 'The black colour deposited on the white ice means the ice then absorbs more sunlight, leading to more melting,' explained Sammie Buzzard, a polar scientist at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at Northumbria University. The use of heavy fuel oil, leftovers from the bottom of the barrel that lead to high black carbon emissions, grew by 75 percent in the Arctic in just four years, between 2015 and 2019. On the opposite end of the planet, in Antarctica, its use has been banned since 2011. Black carbon is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, after CO2. 'Lots of Arctic ice gets covered, and anything that changes the colour of the ice or causes it to melt also removes a key part of the ecosystem,' Buzzard said. Busy routes Almost all types of maritime traffic are on the rise in the Arctic, whether for tourism or transportation. Fishing boats are by far the most common type on ship in the Arctic, followed by cargo ships and bulk carriers. Between 2013 and 2023, every type of ship aside from oil tankers and research vessels took to the Arctic in higher numbers. Not only are there an increasing number of ships in the Arctic Ocean, but they are also navigating over greater distances. In the span of a decade, the total distance vessels covered more than doubled, with an increase of 111 percent. The area for ships to move safely in open waters of the Arctic route during a 90-day safety window expanded by 35 percent from 1979 to 2018. Every year, the area keeps growing. It's estimated that five percent of global shipping traffic will be diverted to the Arctic route as a result. Usually, navigating the frozen waters of the Arctic requires an escort well-versed in icebreaking. A boat designed to break open large chunks of ice glides alongside vessels that need to make it through one of the three main shipping routes: the Transpolar Sea Route, the Northwest Passage or the Northern Sea Route. But according to climate projections, unescorted navigation could be possible as early as 2030 in the summer months. In the Canadian Arctic, where the Northwest Passage is located, the number of vessels has quadrupled since 1990. But the exact number of weeks ships can navigate safely through the route is dwindling. Research has found that melting sea ice doesn't necessarily make all Arctic sea routes more accessible. Thin sea ice does indeed melt under global warming, but centuries-old floes break off and are released into the Arctic Ocean, moving southwards and creating choke points, which makes some key points in the Northwest Passage more dangerous and unpredictable. Still, the overall trend is alarming. Melting sea ice brought on by global warming allowed shipping traffic to increase by 25 percent between 2013 and 2019. The butterfly effect of the Arctic The Arctic helps keep the planet's climate in balance. As sea ice perishes and maritime traffic increases, further accelerating global warming, environmental consequences become ever more far-reaching. 'The polar regions act to help cool the rest of the planet through the white ice reflecting energy from the sun back to space,' Buzzard explained. 'They act a bit like a giant freezer for the rest of the planet.' This has an effect on global temperature. 'Sea ice regulates heat exchange between the atmosphere and ocean, impacting the global circulation of heat,' said Buzzard. '[So] anything that reduces the amount of ice, or darkens it, can mean less energy is reflected, which means extra warming, which then has consequences for the entire planet.' Some changes are being implemented to slow down this worrying feedback loop. A ban on heavy fuel oil, which releases black carbon, was introduced in July 2024, though some vessels can continue to use it until July 2029. The UN agency responsible for regulating maritime transport, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), also pledged to reduce emissions by at least 20 percent in the next five years. But the Clean Arctic Alliance, a group of 21 NGOs who advocate for government action to protect the Arctic's wildlife and its people, insists there is not enough being done to curb the rise of black carbon and methane pollution from shipping in the Arctic. Its lead advisor, Sian Prior, said that 'in recent years, black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping have more than doubled,' in a statement published on 14 May. For Buzzard, the economic interests of using Arctic shipping routes may be beneficial. But increased traffic must be coupled with strict environmental regulations. 'While there can be a saving both in terms of carbon and time for ships to travel across the Arctic, this is a very fragile ecosystem that is already struggling to cope with changes from human-created climate change,' she said. 'Sea ice not only acts to help cool the planet, it is a habitat for creatures like polar bears that use the ice for hunting,' Buzzard noted. The polar bear, now a mascot for environmental issues in the Arctic, relies on sea ice to hunt and move around to find crucial denning areas. It accounts for over 96 percent of the animal's critical habitat. Increased traffic also brings noise pollution, which disturbs mammals who travel through these frozen waters, like whales. Pods use sound to find their food, mates, avoid predators and migrate. A recent study found that underwater noise in some places in the Arctic Ocean has doubled in just six years because of increased shipping. The list of environmental consequences of the maritime traffic boom in the Arctic goes on. Vessels navigating through the Arctic also release air pollutants, flush out sulphur oxide into the ocean through scrubbers that remove the substance from a ship's exhaust, and can leave behind litter. 'There is also the increased risk of pollution from oil spills,' added Buzzard. As countries such as Russia and China eye the prospect of new exploitation that comes with melting sea ice, and US President Donald Trump covets the resource-rich island of Greenland, time is running out for this fragile environment. 'There needs to be careful regulation to minimise the [environmental] impacts to the area,' stressed Buzzard. 'The consequences won't just stay in the Arctic.'
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In Mexico, a major liquefied natural gas export project raises environmental concerns
Whales or gas? To make the stakes clear from the outset, that is how 37 environmental organizations named their campaign against "Saguaro," Mexico's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project. Developed by Mexico Pacific Limited, the project calls for the construction of an 800-kilometer pipeline from the Permian Basin in Texas – where shale gas is extracted – to Puerto Libertad, in the state of Sonora, on the shore of the Gulf of California. The gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, was described by French star explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as "the world's aquarium" because it is home to around 900 fish species and 36 species of cetaceans. In Puerto Libertad, a liquefaction plant covering 607 hectares could potentially be built to enable LNG to be shipped by tanker to Asia. Construction costs are estimated at nearly $14 billion; the project ultimately aims to produce 15 million metric tons of LNG per year. Whales could be the first victims, according to a study published in January by the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Autonomous University of Baja California, as nearly 200 ships are expected to dock annually in Puerto Libertad to load LNG. "The transit of LNG vessels through the Gulf of California threatens to become the main cause of death of large whales by collisions," the study concluded.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Environmental DNA, a ‘revolutionary' key to unlocking the secrets of our oceans
Pierre Jorcin slides on a pair of gloves, attaches a plastic tube to a filter, plunges it into the water, presses the start button on a small pump and then slowly begins walking through the river stream. Thirty minutes later, he has gathered three litres of water and filtered thousands of particles. The entire procedure seems simple, banal even. But Jorcin's gesture is part of a microscopic revolution. In the process, the scientist has collected fragments of environmental DNA, also known as eDNA. 'Every living organism leaves traces of DNA behind, whether in water, soil or in the air. And those traces hold out for some time before eventually degrading,' Jorcin explains. 'By collecting them, we can identify and catalogue the organisms we find like bacteria, mammals, amphibians, fish, etc.' The samples Jorcin collects are then transported a few kilometres away to the University of Savoie Mont Blanc in Chambéry, an Alpine town in southeast France. That is where the offices of Spygen are based, a French pioneer in environmental DNA and the only company in the country that markets eDNA kits. Spygen sells the kits to NGOs, universities and private stakeholders, and then collects the samples to decode them. Dozens and dozens of samples are processed in the small premises of the company, which analyses the trapped eDNA to try and identify what species it belongs to. 'We extract the DNA from the filters and then run it through the sequencing machines,' says Jorcin, who is a project manager at the company. After sequencing, a long succession of four letters emerges – A, T, C, G – representing the genetic code of all species. 'Then it's up to us to find which species the code belongs to by looking through reference databases,' he explains. A burgeoning practice Spygen didn't end up at the foot of the Alps by accident. While the practice of sampling and sequencing eDNA was first tested by a US microbiologist in the 90s, this small revolution truly began about 60 kilometres south of Chambéry. Researchers from the Alpine ecology lab in Grenoble in 2008 found that the method could be used to detect bullfrogs, an invasive species, in places it had not yet been seen. A year later, scientist and Spygen co-founder Alice Valentini came up with the idea of using eDNA in her study on Himalayan brown bears, an endangered species. 'To get a better understanding of the bear's low reproductive capacity, Valentini tested the eDNA of food in its feces, which allowed her to get a precise rundown of its diet. It was a completely new method," says Benjamin Allegrini, president of the company. "That's when we understood the full scope of eDNA. Not only can we detect what organisms or species exist in different environments, but we can also understand how they interact with one another,' he says, beaming. A passionate birdwatcher since he was a child, Allegrini kicked off his career, binoculars in hand, as an ornithologist and went on to study bats. 'Then I discovered how much we could learn from DNA," he recounts. Once he had earned a degree in molecular biology, he decided to devote himself entirely to Spygen from 2018 onwards. 'The more we know about our environment, the more we'll be able to protect it,' says Allegrini, who recently published a book on eDNA. 'That's why it's important to develop new technologies like eDNA, which can revolutionise how we see the world.' The number of scientific papers on environmental DNA has skyrocketed since Spygen was founded in 2011, with each publication confirming the effectiveness of the method a little more. It is now a widely used approach, and is even part of France's new national strategy to protect biodiversity, which was published late last year. The country plans to 'regularly and extensively' document its national biodiversity with a census creating during a 'large-scale campaign to collect and analyse environmental DNA'. An ambitious inventory for underwater species And if there is one habitat where environmental DNA is especially useful, it's in our seas and oceans. Much of the life that exists in the vastness of these underwater worlds is invisible. 'In just one litre of seawater, there are 28 million DNA sequences. But only 14 percent of those sequences are identifiable. That means there are millions and millions of genetic sequences we know nothing about,' Allegrini explains. 'Until now, traditional methods used to document marine biodiversity yielded fragmented results,' says Yvan Griboval, a sailor who is also the head of the French NGO OceanoScientific, which works to collect scientific data from our oceans. 'Environmental DNA opens up a new range of possibilities by offering a tool that is no longer based on estimates or observations, but on factual data.' Scientists traditionally rely on fishing returns, diving expeditions, underwater cameras or acoustic surveys to observe life underwater. Collecting eDNA is a less invasive procedure, with no bait or electric fishing needed to gather data. 'Above all, it allows us to detect species that are invisible to the naked eye, especially those that are rare and difficult to find, or those that only come out at night or live in habitats that are hard for humans to reach,' Allegrini adds. 'It's also much faster and cheaper than traditional methods. A diver can only make four trips 50 metres underwater per day, and their visibility is limited to two metres… Imagine if they had to cover the entire Mediterranean basin. How many species would they miss?' the head of Spygen insists. Two years ago, Spygen and OceanoScientific banded together with six other partners to take on a wild dream. Between May and July, the group decided they would make an inventory of every species of fish, crustacean and marine mammal found along the Mediterranean coast. Over the course of four months, they gathered more than 700 eDNA samples. The project was called BioDivMed. 'When we started out, we didn't really know what the outcome would be. No one had ever tried to get that broad of an inventory of Mediterranean species,' Griboval recalls. 'And the results were good news. The biodiversity of the area was much richer than we had expected it to be.' 'We often talk about the Mediterranean as a dying sea, but this project showed that the coastline is healthier than we thought,' Griboval says. A total of 267 fish species were identified. 'It was a phenomenal result. Unprecedented,' adds David Mouillot, a professor at the University of Montpellier who took part in the project. And there were other surprises. Off the coast of Corsica, eDNA identified the presence of several angel sharks, a critically endangered species that was already thought to have disappeared from the area. 'We were able to find the animal's last refuge,' Mouillot says. 'We also found DNA traces of sunfish, which we also thought had disappeared from our waters.' For Mouillot, the discoveries were not only symbolic but vital for conservation efforts of the Mediterranean's biodiversity. 'Detecting rare species has a tendency to get things moving, especially when it comes to protecting a specific area or ecosystem. No one wants to destroy the habitat of the last living specimen of an endangered species,' he says. Better protections, better catch At a time when France, like several other countries, has promised to transform 30 percent of its land and marine ecosystems into protected areas – compiling inventories of living organisms could help identify and monitor priority zones. One hundred sites in the Mediterranean were identified thanks to the BioDivMed project from 2023. Surveys are conducted annually to observe how many species are left in each delineated zone. And every three or four years, a more complete inventory is taken to allow for long-term monitoring. 'That's another advantage of eDNA,' says Mouillot. 'There is a standard protocol that is easy to replicate, so we can conduct serious species monitoring. It allows us to determine whether the protection of a given area is actually working, whether a species has moved somewhere else, or if there is a proliferation of an invasive species that could pose a threat.' 'Inventories based on eDNA also help us inform fishers about available resources,' says Griboval. 'We know when we need to reduce fishing when it puts too much pressure on a given area, and we can help by directing fishers to other locations or even diversify their catch.' Exploring the deep sea Allegrini and his team are now setting their sights on new horizons – the deep sea. While some have their sights set on exploiting the resources that can be found, eDNA could help bolster research on this ecosystem we still know very little about. For some time now, Spygen has been developing an underwater drone that could collect data from these unexplored depths. But there is a limit to their ambitions. Organisms can only be identified if their genetic sequencing has already been catalogued in the past. In other words, unknown species would not be able to be identified – there would be no match in existing databases. 'So we have a parallel challenge of enriching the existing databases,' says Mouillot. 'The good news is that the DNA we collect can be saved, even if it's unknown for now. We can always identify it later when our inventories grow.' Another major challenge is "developing our identification process', says Allegrini. 'We can find out what species an organism is thanks to a fragment of its DNA. But we need to be able to identify what family or even what individual it belongs to.' 'It would be a revolution for species monitoring, especially for those at risk of becoming extinct. We could track them with precision, understand their behaviour, their movements…' Allegrini adds. For now, however, Allegrini admits that these ambitions feel a little more like science fiction than reality. But the president of Spygen has a tendency to think big, especially when it comes to observing something small.
