NOAA releases Alaskan Arctic nautical map

   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday presented to Alaska officials a new nautical chart for Kotzebue Sound in the Alaskan Arctic, a sparsely charted region that is seeing increased vessel traffic because of the significant loss of summer sea ice.
   The new chart depicts the range of depth measurements and object detection acquired during a full ocean bottom survey last summer by the NOAA hydrographic survey ship Fairweather. It replaces a chart showing depth measurements last taken in the 19th century spaced three to five miles apart, leaving room for possible undetected dangers in between.
   “The new navigational chart addresses a pressing need for this Northwest Alaska transportation hub, located in the Arctic Circle,” the Commerce Department agency said. “Barge shipments and large transport ships must be anchored at least 14 miles out in the Kotzebue Sound due to shallow waters and inadequate charts and navigational aids. Freight must then be transferred by smaller barges to Kotzebue.”
   “With the new chart, mariners who are unfamiliar with the region will have more information and can make better decisions when they approach Kotzebue,” said Capt. Doug Baird, chief of NOAA Coast Survey’s marine chart division. “The chart has accurate and precise depth measurements, which will make ocean-going vessel traffic more efficient through northwest Alaska. Most importantly, the improved navigational information will help mariners protect life and property, on board ship and in the coastal waters of Kotzebue.”