| Abstract | In this project, the objective is to investigate if the current thermal protective equipment and preparedness available to people traveling in the Canadian Arctic are adequate for surviving a major air or cruise ship disaster and to identify the minimum thermal protection criteria for survival. To facilitate experimental design and modeling effort, the environmental conditions along the cross-polar routes for modern aviation and shipping routes for cruise ships in the Canadian Arctic are studied and summarized in this report. There is daily air traffic through the Arctic, so it is important to consider mean and extreme environmental conditions throughout the year as accidents may occur any time. However, cruise ship traffic through the Canadian Arctic is typically between the months of July to late September or early October, where the environmental conditions are less severe. Considering air traffic throughout the year, the daily average air temperature varies between 5°C and -40°C. The extreme minimum air temperature can drop to -55°C and the extreme wind chill can be 70°C. Snow depth can be up to 40 cm during winter months. For cruise traffic during the months of July to September, the daily average air temperature varies between 5°C and 10°C. In July, there is typically one day or less with temperature below –2°C. In August, there are typically 5 to 10 days below –2°C but not less than 10°C. In September, virtually every day is below 2°C. There are 5 to 10 days below 10°C and approximately 3 days below 20°C. In the summer, typical significant wave height reaches 3 m and peak period varies between 4.5 s and 20 s. |
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