Navigating the New Arctic through Investigating Ice-Structure Interactions

Arctic sea ice is thinning due to rapid climate change, potentially increasing access to Arctic waters for economic activities including shipping, exploration, and resource exploitation. Despite the ice is thinning, environmental changes make ice conditions more dynamic. This may lead to new loading conditions for marine structures that have been of minor relevance so far. The increase in maritime operations in the region generates concerns regarding their environmental impact (e.g., oil spills, structural damage on ships and marine structures, etc.). A key challenge will be developing and deploying solutions, which are currently at the cutting edge of technology to ensure and increase safety of operations.