The leads are very dangerous.
You will last for only a few minutes in the water. At first you'll feel pretty alright, swimming a few strokes trying to estimate the sudden situation, but soon enough a horrible cold will overcome you as the water in an instant flushes your clothes. Next your boots will fill up dragging you down and panic will enter.
You will do a few attempts to get up, but the ice is slippery and the edges frail, braking away with your weight at each push. Now you'll sense a strange fatigue and your attempts become increasingly weak. Thoughts will swirl through your mind in a crescendo of memories as your mind scan itself in a desperate search for related information that could prove helpful.
– “So this is the end”, you finally register to yourself and with a strange feeling of peace and sadness, you'll accept your fate and disappear under the ice.
Yet it is not the end unless you give up. Survival is a decision. The difference is a firm determination to get up and just a few more pushes. Take it from an expert and remember it. Get up! GET UP!!
Yet there are several ways to not get yourself into this situation in the first place. Rule number one is to always wear skis while traveling. The skis will distribute your weight very efficiently.
If you must travel over very thin ice, wear a dry suit. Avoid thin ice altogether (holding for less than 2 pokes with your ski pole) unless you really don't have a choice. This danger is especially typical to the late season and unsupported expeditions as they are forced to travel at a slow pace.
The greatest danger is crossing thin ice over wide leads. If you fall through, there will be nothing to get back up on except for weak pans of thin ice. You will not be able to swim or paddle through them as they will pile up between you and the shore. You run a great risk of getting stuck, even if you should manage to get back up on the sled. Avoid crossing those kinds of areas by all means!
If you swim or paddle leads, make an escape plan beforehand. Enter the water from a low and stable piece of the ice, should the other shore prove too weak for your exit out of the water you can always go back to where you started. If you are two or more in the expedition, always let one wait on the starting shore until the other is standing safely on the other side.
Swimming leads is fairly easy if the lead is “clean”, meaning low edges of firm ice and open water. Paddling them on top of your sled is actually a nice break to the skiing and very helpful as crossings over ice bridges often involve skiing deep into rubble and then again back out of the rubble. If you paddle the lead you can instead get in from a nice flat pan and get out on another nice flat pan.
The paddling/swimming gets trickier later in the season. The shores become very unstable and the leads will be a maze of floating ice chunks. Getting into such a lead is really no fun. The leads are often triggered into motion with your arrival in them. The ice chunks will start to corner you and the lead might begin to close up with you inside it. You will try to get up on the floating ice islands but they will be all soft and mushy and break under you. If you get caught by the closing ice, you will get stuck.
There is only one advice for this situation – don't enter bad leads. Those leads often separate two new ice ridges on each side or form lakes of an icy soup. Take the time instead to travel along them until you find a firm and safe passage.
Another hazard of paddling leads late in season are big ice chunks breaking off from under the shore as you grab at it, hitting the sled from below. Paddle to firmer ice or get back to your starting point and try another entry point.
Always wear a dry suit when paddling/swimming a lead and practice the procedure before the expedition. Paddling and swimming in a dry suit on top of a sled is trickier than it seems. The dry suit is very bulky, your hands are covered and the suit might leak. The sled is very wobbly and prone to turn over in the water. If it does you'll lose your gear and then you are in real trouble. It will take days for people to search for you and if you have lost all your gear you'll simply freeze to death while waiting.
If you go on an air-supported expedition you'll probably travel fast enough to be able to stay out of the water altogether. The ice will be frozen over for the most part of your journey and your ride will be a lot safer. Don't lag behind if you have this opportunity to stay out of trouble.
FAQs
The leads are very dangerous. You will last for only a few minutes in the water. At first you'll feel pretty alright, swimming a few strokes trying to estimate the sudden situation, but soon enough a horrible cold will overcome you as the water in an instant flushes your clothes.
What is the main threat to the Arctic ocean? ›
The Arctic, including the Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi seas, now faces an uncertain future due to climate change, mining, shipping, oil and gas development, and overfishing.
What are the risks of shipping across the Arctic? ›
Operating conditions in the Arctic are harsh, with sea-ice and potentially hazardous weather conditions, remote infrastructure, and limited information and communication services. This highly challenging Arctic operating environment leads to a substantial risk of human and environmental disasters.
Why is the Arctic Circle in danger? ›
The Problem
In recent years, Arctic wildlife and peoples have faced rapid and dramatic impacts related to global climate change. The Arctic is warming three times as fast as the rest of the world. Seasonal sea ice, habitat for so many Arctic animals, is in rapid decline.
Is the Arctic ocean water drinkable? ›
As ice ages, the brine eventually drains through the ice, and by the time it becomes multiyear ice, nearly all the brine is gone. Most multiyear ice is fresh enough that someone could drink its melted water. In fact, multiyear ice often supplies the fresh water needed for polar expeditions.
Is the Arctic ocean in danger? ›
The huge ice-covered ocean and frozen lands at the top of the world are at risk from climate change.
How are humans threatening the Arctic? ›
The oil, gas, and mining industries can disrupt fragile tundra habitats. Drilling wells can thaw permafrost, while heavy vehicles and pipeline construction can damage soil and prevent vegetation from returning. This activity also increases the risk of toxic spills.
Why is it now easier for boats to travel through the Arctic Ocean? ›
The NEP is relatively easier owing to lower overall ice extent and open water in the Barents Sea. Unlike similar latitudes in Alaska or in Canada, this area remains ice-free due to currents of warm water from the Gulf Stream, feeding into the North Atlantic.
What are two threats to the Arctic? ›
But this vital area faces unparalleled challenges from climate change, seasonal sea ice loss, ocean acidification and encroaching industrial activities such as oil and gas development and commercial shipping and fishing.
Can ships cross the Arctic Ocean? ›
Currently, two sea routes have been defined to cross the Arctic, enabling ships to move between the Atlantic ocean and the Pacific ocean and thus have the possible status as international strait (or waters) giving right to transit passage.
Terrestrial and marine denning habitats for polar bears are increasingly disappearing and under threat from climate change and human and industrial influence.
How to protect the Arctic? ›
To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to keep the world's remaining fossil fuels in the ground. That means moving away from coal, oil,... It's been an amazing year in the fight to save the Arctic — and it's because of your action.
Why is the Arctic difficult to live in? ›
The Arctic is a vast, ice-covered ocean that is surrounded by tree-less, frozen land, which is often covered with snow and ice. The rigors of this harsh environment are a challenge to living, working and performing research in the Arctic.
Can people swim in the Arctic ocean? ›
Arctic ocean swimming has long been practiced in Iceland but in recent years the trend has become increasingly popular with more people than ever taking a dip into the icy Atlantic Ocean.
Can you swim in the Arctic sea? ›
Underneath you're advised to wear thermal layers, like long underwear and wool socks. Chill out! The water is warmer than you'd think; it's never colder than zero degrees under the layers of ice. The Sampo staff are always around to make sure everyone is feeling fine in the water.
Can you drink ocean water if you boil it? ›
No, it's not safe to drink ocean water even if you boil it. Boiling can kill bacteria and viruses, but it doesn't remove the salts and minerals present in seawater. Consuming too much salt can lead to dehydration, kidney damage, and other health problems.
What is destroying the Arctic? ›
Summary: Global warming is causing permafrost in the Arctic to thaw and sea ice to melt. As a result, coasts are less protected and are being eroded, while carbon stored in the soil and carbon dioxide are being released into the ocean and atmosphere.
What is happening to the Arctic sea? ›
Sea levels are rising.
Melting Arctic ice is expected to speed up sea level rise. Some experts even estimate that the oceans will rise as much as 23 feet by 2100, which would flood major coastal cities and submerge some small island countries, causing untold devastation.
What is the biggest threat to the Arctic tundra? ›
Global warming and the extracting of oil and gas from the tundra are the biggest threats. Human settlement and population are beginning to have an increasingly worrying effect on the biome. Oil, gas and valuable resources such as diamond and gold, have recently been discovered in arctic tundra regions.
