OT but important. Canada has just funded continued operation of the Eureka climate station for five years. It was supposed to go off line. High Arctic research station saved by new funding Eureka's PEARL gets $5M over 5 years http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/05/17/technology-pearl-high-arctic-research-station-funding.html

Andy, Your video just went to the White House. There is a major Arctic policy meeting this week on the scope of Arctic ice and ecosystem change and how to respond. Thought it would add to the process, since they watched Chasing Ice last week.

Neven, Well done! Just one thought, it seems, at least according to the HYCOM CICE thickness, that quite a bit of MYI has moved into the Beaufort in the last couple of weeks. It would seem that it will take some time to melt - but when it does, it will reduce MYI even further. A4R

Andy, We are all indebted to your inspiration and talent. My only regret is that I did not have this Thursday for my last ethics class on climate change to illustrate Arctic ice volume loss. It is now linked for my fall course. I have a couple of friends in US policy circles that are getting this. Also, it is being sent to my friends -- and enemies -- to help spread this as widely as possible. It is a simple and powerful story. BTW, the movie, Chasing Ice, was just shown at the White House this week to leading policy makers. The film's producers followed with an hour of Q&A. Congrats! A4R

For the first time in two weeks I can comment on Typepad...Aarrrghh! A-team and others who have contributed to this thread, your work has been useful in attempting to get a group of 50+ college age young adults to grapple with climate change, the Arctic impacts and what it means for global society. At the end of 90 minutes I asked them, "What did you learn?" One of the more astute replied from the audience - "we are doomed." I was able to get them to think about and discuss the kinds of social issues that will be the results of this changes, and what ethics come into play in resolving them. One note of gratitude to Jim Hunt - whose comments a while back from the Arctic Council were particularly helpful. More methane data will come soon, right now I am reading research papers in the real world. A4R

Jim, Thanks for the compilation, I had noted the NASA EO mentions, but this is better. Thanks to Neven, A-team and others who post solid science that have given this resource a significant level of credibility.

A-team, As always, the images depict the major change in MYI in such a short period of time. We really learn alot from viewing this output!

Paul and Werther, In regard to methane increases and locations for high fall release, or spring fracture release, take a look at the METOP 2 imagery. It can point to smaller areas within the Laptev or ESS that may narrow the area search. The Google Earth images I post may be a starting point. https://sites.google.com/site/a4r2013metop2iasich4co2/home/2011-airs-ch4-359-hpa-vs-iasi-ch4-970-600-mb Werther, I think you are on to something with the pattern you remarked on in the ASIF methane thread. We will be able to use the METOP 2 imagery in the fall as a potential indicator of areas of high sea bed or yedoma release.

A-Team, SH According to this, most of the motion was taking place in the Beaufort Gyre and thinner ice. Well, this is good news. It suggests that, despite the cracking, the main pack of thick MYI is still fairly safe from transport out the Fram or melting out in the Beaufort. Not realy, check the 10-day CICE ice motion forecast - on thrusters through the Fram.

Phil, Fissures and fractures have been open on and off in the Laptev, but thanks for the update and link. A4R

A-Team, Regarding ice motion and speed the ESA/NCOF My Oceans website also has modeling of x and y axis sea ice motion. See the ASIF comment and imagery example. The site only works with Google Chrome. http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,123.0.html

A-Team, There was a M 1.6 solar flare on March 21, for which some satellites were placed in standby mode. The gap happened with the METOP 2/B imagery as well.

On more thing, Arctic methane is hitting record as well. I have updated the METOP 2 IASI CH4/methane imagery. There is significant widespread methane at 586 and 718-742 mb in the Arctic. An example is below for March 21, 2013 pm 586 mb. See: https://sites.google.com/site/a4r2013metop2iasich4co2/home/2011-airs-ch4-359-hpa-vs-iasi-ch4-970-600-mb I still have to add the March 23 2013 pm images. As far as I am aware, we are looking at record methane in the Northern/Arctic atmosphere for March. The Antarctic also has high methane as well.

Paul, Some of us are regularly following methane and do report on it. See: https://sites.google.com/site/apocalypse4real/home/2011-airs-ch4-359-hpa-vs-iasi-ch4-970-600-mb https://sites.google.com/site/a4r2013metop2iasich4co2/home/2011-airs-ch4-359-hpa-vs-iasi-ch4-970-600-mb If some images appear x'd out, they aren't. the website is about full, and I'll be starting a new site for April to June.

Seems like the Canadian ftp buffers filled and they are nto going to clear this site and the other hi res imagery ftp://cisclient.cis.ec.gc.ca/HRPT-Resolute--ArcticComposite/ I am looking for a way to access this for newer imagery, other than DMI or Environment Canada's main site.

A-Team, Thanks for the great slide show segment and image of sea ice thickness as of today. A4R

@ A-Team, "I can composite high res Beaufort and Ellesmere but this has less coverage than the low res Arctic Composite." If you can composite high res Beaufort and Ellesmerem, and cut down the NRL Ice thickness I posted - for March 19, at: http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,92.0.html A-team said "However here the ice thickness image has quite poor resolution to begin with." That's OK, the point will be made. This will be appreciated, I will post the corresponding higher res Beaufort and Ellesmere for overlay with the ice thickness at the same thread. A4R

A-Team, Thanks for the visual confirmation of what I posted earlier today -- that the fracturing extends all the way to Franz Joaeph from Greenland. I have a request. It is important and I think you did this before. Doing this will make an informative difference. Can you take an AVHRR image, clean up the clouds to reveal fracturing, then overlay it with a HYCOM CICE thickness image? What I need to depict is how much fracturing is taking place in the 2+ meter ice. I'll post two images "Short to Medium Term" ASIF thread: http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,92.0.html#lastPost I will really appreciate this.

Yes, I higlighted it as well since it ties into the main system. Still amazing to see the rapidity of these developments.

Espen, A-Team, and all, I just posted the longer fracture line. It is over 1,500 miles long. See the ASIF: http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,92.0.html#lastPost

A-Team, thanks for the congrats, but I have really learned and appreciate what you Chris, Espen, Crandles and others have done to educate me. I am keeping up with the methane, and I think, with the ice potential breakup this fall - a greater concern in regard to what is happening with the ice and methane. The CH4 is updated through March 15, and I'll get more up later today. I have some people I need to email about this... I just got back from work, and my jaw about hit the desk! Incredible what transpired in one day!

Pardon the minor moment off topic - except that the Arctic fracturing is having an impact on methane readings... The METOP 2 IASI CH4 imagery has been updated through March 15 12-24 hrs. https://sites.google.com/site/a4r2013metop2iasich4co2/home/2011-airs-ch4-359-hpa-vs-iasi-ch4-970-600-mb The Greenland, Norwegian, Barents and Kara Seas continue to have record amounts of methane at 586-600 mb, as high as 2199 PPBv on March 15, 2013 -12-24 hrs. Even more interesting are the areas of methane release in the Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas as the Arctic ice fractures. This is unusual for this time of year. Two Google Earth imagery samples are attached in the ASIF: http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,12.0.html When one compares this with surface readings of approx. 1830 PPBv at Mauna Loa at the end of February, 1947 PPBv at Ny-Alesund in mid-February, or early March readings of 1930 PPBv at Barrow, we have a considerably higher set of readings over large portions of the North Atlantic and Arctic.

Meteor impact on Arctic ice fracturing? No relationship in the AVHRR imagery! The earlist AVHRR image I have is February 4, in which the fracturing is already evident in areas past Barrow. The February 15 imagery, the date of the Russian Meteor event,depicts no major change. It is not until February 20, five days after the meteor event that the next round of major fracturing appears. I'll post three AVHRR images in the following thread for verification. http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,92.0.html#lastPost

Similar coverage in LiveScience, "Arctic Storm Shatters Thin Sea Ice", and A-Team/Arctic Sea Ice Blog get credits again. http://www.livescience.com/27919-arctic-storm-fractures-sea-ice.html

The Arctic ice fracturing is beginning to get more US mainstream media attention. This morning, A-Team's blue ice fracturing image is the headliner on the Discovery article, "Arctic Storm Shatters Thin Sea Ice. It also includes credit to the Arctic Sea Ice Blog: http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/arctic-storm-fractures-sea-ice-130316.htm