Arctic Traffic Management, Navigation and Communication System

Abstract

Geographically the Arctic, simplistically speaking, is composed of the Arctic Ocean together with the northern-most territorial reaches of various countries. The methods of transportation are sometimes quite different from one northern reach to another, essentially because of geographical differences. For example, Canada and the Soviet Union in the North are two quite different countries when we consider transportation. Whereas in the Soviet Union most of the North is part of the main land mass with river and overland routes connecting north and south, the Canadian North is composed mainly of islands. Because seawater, in one form or another, divides much of the North from the mainland, air and marine methods of transportation are prime modes of travel in the Canadian North. Beyond the Mackenzie River Delta and Hudson Bay areas, there is no such thing as overland travel from the South.