Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/149372
Arctic Region Challenges Navigation North of the Arctic Circle byLCDRMICHELESCHALLIP Commanding Offcer U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spar Inmanypartsoftheworld,sailorsrelyoninformationandsupporttonavigatesafelythroughinland andinternationalwaters.Theyuseweatherreports, shoresidedata,andnumerousfoatingandfxedaids tonavigation,whichmarkrecentlysounded,wellchartedtraffcpatternsandports.Docksandboat harborsalsolinethecoasts,providingfuel,food,rest stops,andemergencyresponse. However,theseresourcesandmodernconveniences arenotavailableintheArctic.Navigationnorthofthe Arctic Circle presents challenges in that it is limited inmanyofthebasicreferencessailorsrelyoninmost otherareas.Somechartinformationevenpre-dates theU.S.purchaseofAlaskain1876andisbasedon lead-linesoundingsfromRussianandBritishexplorationinthe1800s. Dated Data, Other Challenges IcecoverstheArcticforamajorityoftheyear.Tidal andcurrentreferencepointsarewide-spacedandnot alwaysaccurate.Inaddition,mostofthewaternorth oftheArcticCircleischartedinscalesdiffcultfor precisenear-shorenavigation. Forexample,thescaleforthemostdetailedNational Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)chartforPointBarrowis1:47,983.Thismeans T h e A r c t i c : D i d yo u k n o w… Red Dog Mine The Red Dog Mine, named after a bush pilot's dog, is the world's largest producer of zinc concentrates and a major producer of lead and other key minerals. The mine, located north of the Arctic Circle and 55 miles from the Chukchi Sea, is an open-pit truck-and-loader operation, which uses conventional drill and blast mining methods. The mine trucks partially processed ore to its port facility from July to mid-October. Massive ore carriers anchor of the mine's port facility between Kotzebue and Kivilina, where barges carry the ore to the ships anchored in deeper water. These ships then transport the ore to smelting facilities in British Columbia, and to customers in Asia and Europe. 36 Proceedings Summer 2013 AMT3 Gregory Sykes observes the DeLong Mountain Terminal of the Red Dog Mine from the back of a Kodiak-based HC-130 Hercules. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Offcer Sara Francis. www.uscg.mil/proceedings