Implications of Arctic shipping emissions for marine environment

ABSTRACT To investigate the distribution and behaviour of ocean vessels in the Arctic region and determine the impacts of their emissions, we examine vessel characteristics in conjunction with a series of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data between 2012 and 2016. These datasets, combined with a bottom-up model for estimating pollution emissions, enable us to analyse the level of pollution generated by vessels in the Arctic region. The results indicate that the movements of the vessels and their emissions increase in frequency and continue to do so unless clean energy or technologies are adopted. More than 80% of the emissions are found to be concentrated in the Norwegian and Barents Seas. Emissions from the Northern Sea Route are comparatively low and those from the Northwest Passage are similarly insignificant. Besides, an empirical analysis of the emissions in the Arctic region is carried out following the more restrictive International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s regulations on sulphur emissions that is implemented in 2020. This investigation supplements the literature analysing Arctic’s pollution emission inventory.