Recently, a research team from the Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System and the Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography under the Chinese Ministry of Education made significant progress in Arctic sea fog research, highlighting for the first time the impact of sea fog on Arctic shipping routes. The findings were published online in Geophysical Research Letters under the title “Adapting to a Foggy Future along Trans-Arctic Shipping Routes” with a commentary article. The study was also featured as a highlight in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01449-4). The research was conducted by PhD candidates Song Shutong and Chen Yue as first authors, and Professor Chen Xianyao as the corresponding author.
Rapid melting of Arctic sea ice has made the opening of Arctic shipping routes possible. Compared to traditional routes, the Arctic routes can save nearly one-third of the distance. Previous designs of Arctic shipping routes mainly focused on the impact of sea ice, with little consideration given to the impact of frequent sea fog in summer. In ice zones, the low visibility when a sea fog occurs requires ships to reduce speed to ensure safe navigation. The study used the Polar WRF model, reanalysis data, and CMIP5 data to construct the historical changes in Arctic sea fog and estimate the future trends. It is found that about 20-30% of the Arctic shipping routes would encounter frequent sea fog (fog frequency greater than 20%), resulting in a total delay of 1-4 days. In the future, with continued climate warming, sea fog may occur more frequently in the areas that the Arctic shipping routes pass.
