• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.85-95
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• 2010

There is increasing consensus that global warming is seriously affecting the Arctic region. Sea Ice decreases and sea level rise have led to environmental change in Arctic Ecosystems, while also making the Arctic sea route more accessible to humans. There are complicated international governance dynamics in play, in addition to commercial and scientific interests in the Arctic region. This provides a unique opportunity for Korea to lead the future direction of Arctic policy in response to the global issues such as climate change and economic or scientific interests. Korea acquired Ad-hoc Observer status of the Arctic Council(AC) in 2008, which is the only pan-Arctic intergovernmental organization. It consists of six working groups: ACAP, AMAP, CAFF, PAME, EPPR, SDWG that implement research, survey, and monitoring. AC's Observer country has the opportunity to participate in a diverse range of activities such technical and expertise support, research and monitoring, financial support and conference organization. In order for Korea to expand its activities in the Arctic region, we suggest the following approach: First, Korea should become more actively engaged with the Arctic Council and its activities; Second, Korea should construct organized collaborative networks of national experts to respond to Arctic issues; Third, Korea should develop collaborations with Arctic states; Finally, Korea should intensify its research on international relations and international laws related to the Arctic region.

• 한국지구과학회지
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.329-339
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• 2019

Arctic warming is a global issue. The sea ice in the Arctic plays a crucial role in the climate system. We thought that a recent abnormality in many countries in the northern hemisphere could be related to the effects of shrinking sea ice in the Arctic. Many research groups monitor sea ice in the Arctic for climate research. Satellite remote sensing is an integral part of Arctic sea ice research due to the Arctic's large size, making it difficult to observe with general research equipment, and its extreme environment that is difficult for humans to access. Along with monitoring recent weather changes, Korea scientists are conducting polar remote sensing using a Korean satellite series to actively cope with environmental changes in the Arctic. The Korean satellite series is known as KOMPSAT (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite, Korean name is Arirang) series, and it carries optical and imaging radar. Since the organization of the Satellite Remote Sensing and Cryosphere Information Center in Korea in 2016, Korean research on and monitoring of Arctic sea ice has accelerated rapidly. Moreover, a community of researchers studying Arctic sea ice by satellite remote sensing increased in Korea. In this article, we review advances in Korea's remote sensing research for the polar cryosphere over the last several years. In addition to satellite remote sensing, interdisciplinary studies are needed to resolve the current limitations on research on climate change.

• 한국항해항만학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국항해항만학회 2015년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.203-204
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• 2015

This study examines the view of global trends in the Arctic Shipping. It is also provides a framework for understanding how participated in Arctic. The trends that had made it a centre of global attention. Surge of interest in its economy and politics has increased. That surge was driven by three things. Political and business agreements in the Arctic and with Arctic states, a trend that is likely to continue as the Arctic warms.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.305-311
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• 2016

The spatial size and variation of Arctic sea ice play an important role in Earth's climate system. These are affected by conditions in the polar atmosphere and Arctic sea temperatures. The Arctic sea ice concentration is calculated from brightness temperature data derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite program (DMSP) F13 Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSMI) and the DMSP F17 Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) sensors. Many previous studies point to significant reductions in sea ice and their causes. We investigated the variability of Arctic sea ice using the daily sea ice concentration data from passive microwave observations to identify the sea ice melting regions near the Arctic polar ice cap. We discovered the abnormal melting of the Arctic sea ice near the North Pole during the summer and the winter. This phenomenon is hard to explain only surface air temperature or solar heating as suggested by recent studies. We propose a hypothesis explaining this phenomenon. The heat from the deep sea in Arctic Ocean ridges and/or the hydrothermal vents might be contributing to the melting of Arctic sea ice. This hypothesis could be verified by the observation of warm water column structure below the melting or thinning arctic sea ice through the project such as Coriolis dataset for reanalysis (CORA).

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.20-28
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• 2004

A dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model with 50-km spatial and 24-hour temporal resolution is used to investigate the spatial and long-term temporal variability of the sea ice cover the Arctic Basin. The model satisfactorily reproduces the averaged main characteristics of the sea ice and the sea ice extent in the Arctic Basin and its decrease in early 1990th. At times model allows to suppose partial recovery of sea ice cover in the last years of twenty century. The employment of explicit form for description of ridging gives opportunity to assume that the observed thinning is the result of reduction the intensity of ridging processes and to estimate long-term variability of probability the ridge free navigation in the different parts of the Arctic Ocean including the North Sea Route area.

• 무역학회지
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.115-128
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• 2019

This article analyzes issues regarding the economic development of the arctic area with the aim of finding ways to help solve the problems and to support sustainable economic development of the arctic area. Some proposals are introduced for establishing a sound legal infrastructure of the Korea-Russia economic development of the arctic area. As Russia develops the Arctic area and the route through the Arctic area, Korea will gain the possibility of transportation efficiency, vitalization of international transaction, and finding new markets. Resource development in the North Pole is ongoing, with matching international transaction and economic benefits. To reflect the Korea-Russia interests and to sustain the effect, the legal infrastructure is inevitable. For example, it would be reinforced by pushing forward the Korea-Russia FTA. The legal infrastructure for economic cooperation of Korea and Russia has to reflect that 'the development of the Arctic area and making the route through the Arctic area' should increase the sustainability and vitality of international transaction. The legal infrastructure for economic benefits can also help mitigating non-economic arguments of international community such as the security risk in the Korean-peninsula and around the world.

• Strategy21
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• 통권30호
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• pp.200-235
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• 2012

Over the past few years, due to the climate change of the earth, the Arctic's sea ice cover is undergoing a historic transformation - thinning, extent reduction in all seasons, and mitigation in the area of multi-year ice in the central Arctic Ocean. These changes allow for increases in maritime access throughout the Arctic Ocean and for potential longer seasons of navigation and possibly transarctic voyage in the summer. These changes also allow more exploration for oil, gas, and other minerals. The Arctic is now an archetype of the complex, multi-dimensional global problems of the twenty-first century. Military security, environmental security, and economic security interact. The potentially enormous economic stakes, sufficient to change the strategic balance among the states of the region, set off competitive pressures for national advantage. Korea, which is heavily dependent upon the sea lane in terms of transportation of its exports and imports, is very much interested in the Arctic sea routes. Korea believes that the Artic sea route, particularly the Northern Sea Route (NSR), could serve as a new useful sea lane, which will enable shorter times between East Asia and Europe, thus resulting in substantial cost saving for ship operators. In addition to shipping, Korea is interested in other Arctic-related maritime industries. Korea, as a leading shipbuilder in the global market, is interested in building ice breakers, drill ships, and other vessels which can contribute to safe operation in Arctic resource development and exploration. Korea, as one of the future stakeholders in Arctic maritime activities, should be ready to foster international cooperation in the region.

• 한국지반신소재학회논문집
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.53-61
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• 2019

북극권에는 미개발된 막대한 에너지·자원이 매장되어 있다. 지구온난화로 인해 북극 항로의 이용이 가능해지고, 자원개발에 대한 관심이 높아짐에 따라 극지 인접국들과 선진국들은 국가적 차원에서 북극권 개발과 건설 사업을 활발히 추진하고 있다. 동시에 북극권 자원 개발과 자원 이송에 따른 환경오염 문제도 꾸준히 제기되어 왔다. 오늘날 환경 문제는 북극권 개발사업의 비용뿐 아니라, 사업 자체의 성공 여부에 중대한 영향을 미치고 있다. 따라서 북극권 자원 개발사업을 위해서는 에너지·자원 개발 및 이송과 관련된 기술 확보와 함께 환경영향평가(Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA)에 대한 전략 수립이 반드시 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 북극권 자원 개발 시, 고려해야 할 환경영향평가의 특성과 절차를 살펴보고, 그에 필요한 정보를 체계적으로 관리하기 위한 시스템 구축 방안을 고찰하였다. 본 시스템은 북극권 환경영향평가에 필요한 정보 데이터베이스와 그를 활용하는 응용시스템으로 구성되며, 북극권 자원 개발사업을 위한 전략수립 등을 위하여 활용될 것으로 기대된다.

• 생태와환경
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.390-397
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• 2022

북극 이사회 산하 "북극동식물보전 워킹그룹"은 북극 생물다양성을 보전하고 생물자원의 지속가능성을 보장하기 위해 모니터링, 평가, 정책, 전문가 그룹 활동을 수행하고 그 결과를 정부들과 북극원주민들에게 전달한다. 북극 동식물보전 워킹그룹의 주요업무는 모니터링, 평가, 전략 사업으로 구성되어 있다. 주요 모니터링 사업은 "환북극 생물다양성 모니터링 (해양, 담수, 육상, 연안) 프로그램", 평가 사업은 "북극생물다양성평가", 전략 사업은 "북극철 새이니셔티브"이다. 우리나라는 2013년 북극 이사회 옵서버 국가 지위 획득 후 2015년부터 북극철새이니셔티브 사업에 직접 참여하고 있다. 북극철새이니셔티브는 북극에서 번식하는 철새들이 이용하는 전 세계 이동경로 상의 서식지를 보전하고 불법 사냥을 방지하는 것이 목적이다. 따라서, 철새 이동경로상의 옵서버 국가들이 직접적으로 사업에 참여하고 있다. 우리나라는 2030년까지 북극협력사업 참여를 위한 우선순위 선정 시 기존에 참여하고 있는 북극 철새이니셔티브와 국내 공공기관들이 운영 중인 북극 관련 아카데미 프로그램을 활용해 "CAFF 청년 프로그램" 참여 방안을 고려할 필요가 있다.

• Strategy21
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• 통권43호
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• pp.29-55
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• 2018

Arctic sea ice has been retreating as a result of the global warming. Arctic sea ice extent for April 2018 averaged 13.71 million square kilometers. This figure shows far less sea ice compared to the average extent from 1981 to 2010. Meanwhile, 287 times of maritime transits through the Northwest Passage have been made during the 2017 and the first ship traversed the Northern Sea Route without the assistant of ice-breaker in August 2017. Commercialization of the Arctic Passage means significant economic and strategic advantages by shortening the distance. In this article, 'Arctic Passage' means Northern Sea Route along the Arctic coast of Russia and Northwest Passage crossing Canadian Arctic Ocean. As climate changes, the potential feasibility of the Arctic Passage has been drawing international attention. Since navigation in this area remains hazardous in some aspects, IMO adopted Polar Code to promote safe, secure and sustainable shipping through the Arctic Passage. Futhermore, Russia and Canada regulate foreign vessels over the maritime zones with the authority to unilaterally exercise jurisdiction pursuant to the Article 234 of UNCLOS. The dispute over the navigation regime of the arctic passage materialized with Russia proclaimed Dmitrii Laptev and Sannikov Straits as historically belong to U.S.S.R. in the mid 1960s and Canada declared that the waters of the passage are historic internal waters in 1973 for the first time. So as to support their claims, In 1985, Russia and Canada established straight baseline including Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage. The United States has consistently protested that the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage are straits used for international navigation which are subject to the regime of transit passage. Firstly, it seems that Russia and Canada do not meet the basic requirements for acquiring a historic title. Secondly, since the Law of the Sea had adopted before the establishment of straight baseline over the Russian Arctic Archipelago and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Ships can exercise at least the right of innocent passage. Lastly, Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage have fulfilled the both geographical and functional criteria pertaining to the strait used for international navigation under the international law. Especially, should the arctic passage become commercially viable, it can be expected to accumulate the functional criterion. Russia and Canada regulate the ships navigate in their maritime zones by adopting the higher degree of an environmental standard than generally accepted international rules and standard mainly under the Article 234 of UNCLOS. However, the Article 234 must be interpreted restrictively as this contains constraint on the freedom of navigation. Thus, it is reasonable to consider that the Article 234 is limited only to the EEZ of coastal states. Therefore, ships navigating in the Arctic Passage with the legal status of the territorial sea and the international straits under the law of the sea have the right of innocent passage and transit passage as usual.