Statistical Modeling of Arctic Sea Ice Concentrations for Northern Sea Route Shipping

The safe and efficient navigation of ships traversing the Northern Sea Route demands accurate information regarding sea ice concentration. However, the sea ice concentration forecasts employed to support such navigation are often flawed. To address this challenge, this study advances a statistical i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied Sciences
Main Authors: Da Wu, Wuliu Tian, Xiao Lang, Wengang Mao, Jinfen Zhang
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/app13074374
Description
Summary:The safe and efficient navigation of ships traversing the Northern Sea Route demands accurate information regarding sea ice concentration. However, the sea ice concentration forecasts employed to support such navigation are often flawed. To address this challenge, this study advances a statistical interpolation method aimed at reducing errors arising from traditional interpolation approaches. Additionally, this study introduces an autoregressive integrated moving average model, derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, for short-term sea ice concentration forecasts along the Northern Sea Route. The validity of the model has been confirmed through comparison with ensemble experiments from the Coupling Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5, yielding reliable outcomes. The route availability is assessed on the basis of the sea ice concentration forecasts, indicating that the route will be available in the upcoming years. The proposed statistical models are also shown the capacity to facilitate effective management of Arctic shipping along the Northern Sea Route.