On a cloudy day in September, Commander Nicole Robichaud looked ahead to the deep, blue water of the Arctic Ocean from the bridge of a brand new ship. Whitecaps and floating sea ice dotted the horizon.
The sixty-five crew members and sailors with the Royal Canadian Navy, were on board HMCS Margaret Brooke, one of six new icebreaker ships in Canada’s Arctic fleet. They travelled through some of the earth’s most unforgiving waters at the northernmost edge of North America.
The stark effects of the climate crisis and changing geopolitical landscape have created new threats in the Arctic. As the sea ice melts, previously impassable routes through the region and access to long-hidden natural resources are opening up.
