Climate change is opening up the Arctic, and a $600 million-plus expansion will make Nome on Alaska's western coast the nation’s first deep-water Arctic port. The expansion is expected to be operational by the end of the decade,. The port will accommodate not just larger cruise ships of up to 4,000 passengers, but cargo ships to deliver additional goods for the 60 Alaska Native villages in the region, and military vessels to counter the presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic. While Nome may be the first deep-water draft for the Arctic, Nome's mayor says it likely won't be the last because of global warming.
