MODULE N: SAFE NAVIGATION AND

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION (2017-2022)Halifax, 3 October 2017

SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OCEAN FRONTIER

OUTLINE1. GOAL & SCOPE

2. MODULE CONTENT

3. INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES

4. EXPECTED LINKS WITH

OTHER MODULES

5. MODULE GOVERNANCE

6. MODULE MOBILIZATION

1. GOAL &

SCOPE

Using interdisciplinary perspectives,

Module N investigates how ocean

change in the NWA and CEAG

shapes our understanding of the risks

posed by increased shipping and the

search for solutions.

Module N will generate enhanced

understanding and applications:

Maritime risks

Ship emissions controls

Ship noise

Strategizing for oil spill response and SAR

capacities in remote areas

MSP for conflict management

Regulatory tools

Marine Scientific Research Strategy (MSR)

Northwest

Atlantic &

Canadian

Eastern Arctic

Gateway

(CEAG)

DRIVERS

Continued loss of sea ice and calving in the

CEAG

Shipping activity is poised to increase in the

Canadian Arctic and NWA (e.g., CETA,

Corridors)

Increased shipping will stretch SAR and spill

response capacity (e.g., Oceans Action Plan)

Shipping implications for coastal populations

deserve assessment (e.g., public health)

Ship noise impact in the marine environment

is not fully understood and regulated

Growing interface between shipping and Inuit rights (e.g., Lancaster Sound)

CHANGE

Ocean change

Users

* Shipping (spatial, icebreaking,

emissions, noise)

* Indigenous (traditional,

contemporary)

Governance

* Policy

* Law

* Institutional

* Management (inclIndigenous)

SHIPPING

ENVIRONMENT

Risks to ships• Ocean-atmosphere

interactions (weather)• Surface conditions• Reduced visibility• Sea ice• Icebergs• Other uses• Etc.

Risks from ships• Air emissions• Climate change impacts• Underwater noise• Discharges and spills• Collisions• Ships/persons in distress• Public health impacts• Disrupting ice routes• Coastal economies• Etc.

SAFETYOCEAN USERS

INDIGENOUS

PEOPLES

CHANGING OCEAN

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Law &

policy

Risk

aspects

Data /

informationNatural

Science

Social

Science

2. MODULE CONTENT

Subproject 1 – Emissions from shipsLead: Martin

Team: Chang, Chircop, Pelot, Perrie, Ritchie, Wallace,

• Activities:

• Assess the current effects of marine aerosols on

coastal populations

• Predict future changes

• Run simulations and predictions using the GEOS-

Chem model, an open-source global 3-D model

of atmospheric composition

• Applications:

• Inform the development of marine

transportation policy and risk reduction strategy

• Implications of scientific findings for Canadian

and international maritime regulation

• Options for proposing evidence-based MARPOL

Annex VI protection for Arctic waters.

Subproject 2 – Ship NoiseLead: Barclay & Pelot

Team:

• Work:

• Attempt to improve current modelling

techniques to assess potential impact of shipping

in NWA/CEAG

• Review of current state of ambient (natural)

noise in northern latitudes based on historical

data (previous decade)

• Data-validated noise modelling based on recent

arctic measurements and anticipated shipping

increases to predict changes in the sound field

• Applications:

• Results can be used by fisheries, coastal

communities, management of marine protected

areas (MPAs) and underwater surveillance

Subproject 3 – Spill ResponseLead: Pelot & Chircop

Team: Aporta, Dawson, Fanning, Perrie, Ritchie

• Work:• Combine risk-based demand estimation of spill

occurrences with current and anticipated

response resources to assess equity and

efficiency of coverage across our area of interest

• Special focus on complexities of the northern

environment (remoteness, community reliance

on country food, and relative lack of resilience of

the ecosystem to pollution stresses)

• Applications:

• Cost-benefit and risk effectiveness models will be

developed to help inform spill response

capability planning and/or regulatory reform

Subproject 4 – Search and RescueLead: Pelot

Team: Dawson, Neis, Perrie, Ritchie, Schroeder

• Work:

• Develop an integrated multi-criteria framework to

model Arctic conditions that affect Search and

Rescue resource planning: lack of infrastructure,

poor weather, low visibility, ice impediments, poor

communications, and frigid waters.

• Estimate future shipping traffic growth scenarios in

the Arctic to determine the amount of exposure

• Applications:

• Develop risk-based planning methods and tools

that include concepts of remoteness, suitability of

various response assets to diverse incident types,

and cost-benefit analyses to help inform strategic

and tactical SAR planning.

Subproject 5 – Risk AssessmentLead: Pelot

Team: Dawson, Neis, Chircop, Aporta, Beveridge• Work:

• Use the IRGC risk governance framework to develop a

comprehensive, evidence-based approach for the two

fundamental aims of assessing and managing risks

associated with shipping in the NWA and CEAG.

• Address the changing circumstances of navigation in

these regions, and representing the values of multiple

stakeholders in the risk modelling.

• Applications:

• Prioritize shipping risks in terms of various measures of

impacts, in order to appreciate the key problem areas

from a variety of perspectives.

• Devise key risk mitigation strategies to bolster existing

approaches, with emphasis on remoteness, changing

conditions, and discrimination between extreme event

planning versus operational risk reduction

Subproject 6 – MSP AssessmentLeads: Aporta & Fanning

Team: Beveridge, Chircop, Cudennec, Dawson, Martin, Matz-

Lück, Pelot, Neis, Schroeder

• Work:• Study how MSP packaged with ship routeing and

reporting measures may provide added value to

ocean management in the NWA and CAG

• Focus on areas where shipping produces conflicting

interactions with other ocean uses, Inuit interests and

conservation measures

• Ascertain how Indigenous peoples might be

affected by growth of shipping in Arctic waters and

to lessons learned from MSP in the Northeast Atlantic

and other European waters

• Applications:

• Inclusive and integrated planning and management

scenarios to mitigate potential conflicts while

achieving ecosystem-based management goals.

Subproject 7 – Regulatory AssessmentLead: Chircop

Team: Aporta, Beveridge, Cudennec, Fanning, Martin, Matz-Lück,

Neis, Pelot, Schroeder

• Work:

• Policy and regulatory analyses of safety and

environmental (incl. emissions, noise) regulation

• Assessment of tools for interface of shipping with

other ocean uses, Indigenous uses, conservation

measures

• Assessment of the Canadian and international polar

shipping regulatory landscape

• Applications:

• Proposals for evidence-based policy and regulatory

options to enable Canada meet its international

obligations while protecting its vital interests in the

NWA/CEAG.

Subproject 8 – MSR AssessmentLeads: Chircop & Leslie

Team: Pelot, Wallace

• Work:

• Assessment of policy and regulatory

framework for MSR in Canada

• Assessment of how Canadian benefits from

foreign MSR in Canadian waters can be

optimised

• Applications:

• Proposal/strategy for ships of opportunity in

support of MSR

• Policy paper on integrating marine scientific

research policy/permitting in Canada

3. INTEGRATIVE

ACTIVITIES

Composite teams for

subgroups

Annual video-

conferenced/skyped

plenary meetings (Y1, Y2,

Y3, Y4, Y5)

Major international and

comparative research

workshops (Y2, Y4)

Interdisciplinary outputs

DISSEMINATION OF INTEGRATED OUTPUTS/RESULTS

Enhanced

understanding

(scholarly outputs)

1. Five doctoral theses

(Dalhousie PhDs)

2. Two workshop

proceedings (major

publisher)

3. 16 articles/chapters

(refereed

journals/books)

4. Blogs

Applications (stakeholder-specific outputs)

1. Marine aerosols predictive model(TC, ECCC, DFO, shipping industry and affected communities)

2. Ship noise forecasting model (DFO, DRDC, TC)

3. Integrated SAR & spill response model (CCG, TC, DFO, ECCC and shipping industry)

4. Interactive web-based atlas (Inuit communities, TC, DFO, CCG, other stakeholders)

5. Eight policy papers (DFO, TC, CCG, etc.)

4. EXPECTED LINKS WITH OTHER MODULES

Subprojects Connection to other Modules

1. Emissions from ships A, C2. Ship noise E, G, P, Q3. Spill response G, I, M, Q

4. Search & rescue A, M, Q5. Risk assessment A, E, G, I, P, Q

6. MSP assessment A, G, M, P

7. Regulatory assessment A, E, G, I, M

8. MSR assessment O, P, Q

A. Marine Atmospheric Composition and VisibilityC. Microbial Community StructureE. Indicators of Ecosystem ChangeG. Future-Proofing Marine Protected Area NetworksI. Informing Governance Responses in a Changing OceanM. Social License and Planning in Coastal CommunitiesO. Transforming Ocean ObservationsP. Research Data ManagementQ. Integrative Ocean Data Tools and Analytics

5. MODULE GOVERNANCE

Ocean Frontier Institute

Co-principal investigators

(Chircop, Pelot, Martin, Aporta)

Module Management

Committee (PIs + Barclay, Neis)

SP1 SP2

Research Advisory Council

(Government, industry, Indigenous)

SP3 SP4 SP5 SP6 SP7 SP8

PARTNERS & PARTICIPANTS (TBC)

University

• Dalhousie

• MUN

• Other Canadian

• UBO

• Kiel

• WMU

Government

• TC

• DFO

• CCG

• DRDC

• ECCC

Indigenous

• ICC

• Inuit Elders

Industry

• Shipping Federation of Canada

• Fednav

6. MODULE MOBILIZATION

Administrative:

Investigator checklist completed

Project account opened

Ethics

Management:

First MMC meeting held in August (next in October)

RAC members in the process of being contacted or confirmed

Detailed plans for each subgroup will be developed in October in preparation of launching of research

Plenary:

First project plenary meeting projected for December

THANK YOU!

QUESTIONS? / COMMENTS !

Prepared by

Aldo Chircop, Ronald Pelot, Randall Martin, Claudio Aporta