What was northwest passage

During his crossing Amundsen had many encounters with Inuit communities. The lessons he learnt from them helped with his Arctic voyage and also with his subsequent success in being the first person to reach the South Pole. At various points along the way, he reportedly had to wait for months on end for the ice to melt enough so his vessel could pass through.

Roch navigated the passage from west to east for the first time as a show of Canadian sovereignty over the North. At the end of its journey, the St. Roch turned around and went back, making it the first vessel to complete the journey in both directions. The Northwest Passage is 7, kilometres shorter than the current shipping route through the Panama Canal. From London to Tokyo via the canal, the distance is about 23, kilometres. Travelling east through the Suez Canal is also longer at 21, kilometres.

The route through the passage is just 16, kilometres. But as scientists speculate that the Arctic ice is melting, the passage is becoming a coveted shipping route.

In , an American tanker, the S. It was an attempt to prove the passage was a viable route for shipping oil. In , the ship made another trip through the passage. In the end, Canada imposed environmental regulations on trips through the passage, but the issue of who controlled the waters was not resolved. In , the U. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea transited the passage — without asking the Canadian government for permission.

President Ronald Reagan. The document states that the U. However, the issue of whether the waters were international or internal was again left unresolved. In recent years, scientists have been urging the Canadian government to take more steps to stake its claim on the North. Each year, the ice shrinks by 70, sq km, the equivalent of Lake Superior, she says. Graph of arctic sea ice extent: Time series graph of the average monthly Arctic sea ice extent in millions of square kilometers.

The average January ice extent for to shows a decline of 3. There has been a progressive, year-by-year decline in the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice. The graph on this page shows how the extent of Arctic sea ice has been on a steady decline between and NASA studies have shown that the extent of Arctic sea ice is declining at a rate of several percent per decade.

As the ice cover is removed, solar radiation penetrates the water and warms it, instead of being reflected from the white ice.

Another factor that contributes to warming of the Arctic Ocean is the increase in discharge rates of rivers draining Europe and Asia. These freshwater rivers now receive increasing runoff from melting glaciers. This runoff is much warmer than the Arctic Ocean water.

The net result is a slight warming of the Arctic Ocean waters and a dilution of salinity. The map at the top of this page shows possible routes through the Northwest Passage. During the past few years, satellite images taken near the end of the Arctic summer often show that large portions of the Passage are relatively ice-free. In September, satellite images show that the Arctic Ocean has been clear enough to sail straight through the Northwest Passage.

Related: Arctic Ocean Features Map. The economic value of a short route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was appreciated early. English explorers, including Martin Frobisher, John Davis, and Henry Hudson searched for it from the Atlantic side in the late s and early s. George Vancouver, who had accompanied Cook on his expedition, then lead his own trip from to He surveyed and mapped the passages and rivers of the Northwest Coast in detail. This confirmed to all that there was no great passage south of Bering Strait.

In , Sir John Franklin was chosen despite being 59 years old to lead a lavishly-equipped expedition to chart the last unknown parts of the Northwest Passage. The two ships became ice-locked in near King William Island, roughly halfway through the Passage. Franklin died in , leaving Francis Crozier in command. In , they abandoned the two ships and tried to escape south by sled across the northern tundra.

None survived. Several searching expeditions were sent out when the ships failed to return to England. One of the attempts was by Sir Robert McClure. He was later credited with being the first to travel the entire Northwest Passage. After returning from the first Franklin search expedition, a new search party was sent in , with McClure in command of the second ship, Investigator.

The two boats set out together but soon became separated. McClure then travelled up the west coast and into the Bering Strait.

Unfortunately, the ship became stuck in pack ice in the spring of and McClure and his crew were rescued by an expedition travelling from the east. The Klondike Gold Rush, often called the Yukon Gold Rush, was a mass exodus of prospecting migrants from their hometowns to Canadian Yukon Territory and Alaska after gold was discovered there in The idea of striking it rich led over , people from all walks of life to John Cabot or Giovanni Caboto, as he was known in Italian was an Italian explorer and navigator who may have developed the idea of sailing westward to reach the riches of Asia while working for a Venetian merchant.

Though the exact details of his life and expeditions are the In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan c. En route he discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the In , Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias c.

Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Where Is the Northwest Passage? Henry Hudson. Columbus' Modern Ships. Robert Peary Reaches North Pole. Henry Hudson Henry Hudson made his first voyage west from England in , when he was hired to find a shorter route to Asia from Europe through the Arctic Ocean.

Exploration of North America The story of North American exploration spans an entire millennium and involves a wide array of European powers and uniquely American characters. Niagara Falls Known in the past as the premiere Honeymoon destination, this geological wonder is not only one of most popular tourist attractions in the state of New York, but also functions as one of the major power providers to the state itself.