Abstract:

Sea ice condition is critical in developing and using Arctic passages. In this study, sea ice concentration
products (2006–2015) from The University of Bremen in Germany were considered, and the sea ice regime
along the route of M/V Yong Sheng in 2013 was extracted (route navigational window, spatial distribution of
daily sea ice concentration, and monthly standard deviation of sea ice concentration). Then, the basic conditions
of the navigational window of the route from 2006 to 2015 were analyzed. The general navigable conditions,
main locations of ice barriers from 2006 to 2015, and fluctuations of sea ice concentration of the
waters from July to October were established. Furthermore, the key areas affecting the navigability of the
Arctic Northeast Passage were determined, and the trends of the navigational window of the route of M/V
Yong Sheng and the key areas were determined.

Key words: Arctic, Northeast Passage, navigational window, sea ice concentration, remote sensing