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http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/26/2528391/rename-hurricanes-climate-deniers/
Commented Aug 27, 2013 on The Naming of Arctic Cyclones at Arctic Sea Ice
The Naming of Arctic Cyclones
The Arctic is about to welcome another big cyclone. Though probably not as large, intense and long-lasting as last year's Great Arctic Cyclone, it is rather intruiging to see a cyclone of similar magnitude occur so soon after the last one. It makes one wonder whether the Arctic will be seeing mo...
Lodger,
The Laptev Bite is looking pretty ratty:
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r04c04.2012235.terra.1km
A Lincoln Nibble has developed:
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r03c03.2012234.terra
Commented Aug 23, 2012 on Record dominoes 4: DMI sea ice extent at Arctic Sea Ice
Record dominoes 4: DMI sea ice extent
There are several scientific organisations that keep an eye on the Arctic sea ice cover and put out graphs to inform us of the amount of ice that is left. You can see most, if not all, of them on the ASI Graphs webpage. I expect the record on most of these graphs to be broken in weeks to come. -...
Gruss Gott!
The Polarstern on August 8th found a floe 1 to 2 m thick at 84N and 30E on which to set up observatories. They hope it will not have melted when they return to it in October. Also, photo of ice floe at this site:
http://www.awi.de/en/infrastructure/ships/polarstern/weekly_reports/all_expeditions/ark_xxvii/ark_xxvii3/13_august_2012/
The blog from the expedition is interesting with comments on the state of the Arctic ice and has more photos (it is in German but Google translator should work).
http://www.geo.de/blog/geo/polarstern-expedition
Commented Aug 15, 2012 on More news on CryoSat-2 at Arctic Sea Ice
More news on CryoSat-2
I'll probably update this post tomorrow (updated now, see below), but Timothy Chase writes in to say that the Guardian has an article today with news related to CryoSat-2, the satellite that has been launched to measure the thickness of Arctic sea ice (among others). So I'm putting this out now,...
Kris,
From Wikipedia on Summit Camp deep drill: "On July 1,1993, the bedrock was reached."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Camp
More information on Summit, Greenland: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/sum/index.html
Commented Jul 26, 2012 on Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt at Arctic Sea Ice
Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt
This just in from NASA (hat-tip Apocalypse4Real): Satellites See Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt July 24, 2012: For several days this month, Greenland's surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations. Nearly the entire...
Thanks, Apocalypse. Very cool. Neven had a great post on the Lena last year in April (A Warm River Runs Through It). I became familiar with Yakutsk when I became interested in a motorcycle trip on the Road of Bones, the M56 Kolyma Highway from Yakutsk to Magadan, in homage to those whose lives, literally, became a part of the road.
Commented May 31, 2012 on ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day at Arctic Sea Ice
ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day
During the melting season I'm writing (bi-)weekly updates on the current situation with regards to Arctic sea ice (ASI). Central to these updates are the daily IJIS sea ice extent (SIE) and Cryosphere Today sea ice area (SIA) numbers, which I compare to data from the 2005-2011 period (NSIDC has...
Kris,
Yes, I suggested that the Lena River was flowing after looking at the MODIS images. I did read Apocalypse's comment from April 23 and your comment to it. However, the article cited was dated May 15, 2007. Do you have any references for the 2012 season?
Commented May 31, 2012 on ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day at Arctic Sea Ice
ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day
During the melting season I'm writing (bi-)weekly updates on the current situation with regards to Arctic sea ice (ASI). Central to these updates are the daily IJIS sea ice extent (SIE) and Cryosphere Today sea ice area (SIA) numbers, which I compare to data from the 2005-2011 period (NSIDC has...
The region between the New Siberian Islands and the Lena River Delta using the band 3,6,7 combination and pixel size 250m appears to be the same sort of ice that can be seen, for example, off the northeast coast of Greenland, including the wispy tendrils of ice. This is the time of the year when the Lena River thaws and the water is high and brown with sediment.
http://lance2.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/data_images/rapid/faq/faq_bands.html
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r05c05.2012150.terra.367.250m&vectors=coast
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1473
Commented May 30, 2012 on ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day at Arctic Sea Ice
ASI 2012 update 3: international daily data day
During the melting season I'm writing (bi-)weekly updates on the current situation with regards to Arctic sea ice (ASI). Central to these updates are the daily IJIS sea ice extent (SIE) and Cryosphere Today sea ice area (SIA) numbers, which I compare to data from the 2005-2011 period (NSIDC has...
Neven,
The Lambert Channel Polynya in that part of the Arctic, off Victoria Island, can now be seen.
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r04c01.2012150.terra.1km
The following paper discusses this polynya:
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic62-1-83.pdf
As we look for the causes of the melting Arctic ice and see the appearance of open water, it is helpful to be able to identify what areas are polynyas and what dynamics produce them.
Commented May 29, 2012 on Beaufort break-up at Arctic Sea Ice
Beaufort break-up
Commenter Dr Tskoul posted a link to this Youtube video he made from the MODIS Terra satellite for days 90 to 143: It looks spectacular, doesn't it? All because of the large and strong high pressure system I mentioned in the first ASI update. Check out the animation of DMI SLP images and focus ...
It is the Flagler Bay Polynya, a latent-heat polynya, that is closest to the large North Water Polynya seen extending from Smith Sound to Kane Basin. The Flagler Bay Polynya has on its sides the Knud and Bache Peninsulas with meltwater channels that winds sweep down and the Bache Peninsula is a headland which affects the ocean currents.
http://booksite.academicpress.com/DPO/gallery/ch12/012022_full.jpg
Commented May 27, 2012 on ASI 2012 update 2: no daily data at Arctic Sea Ice
ASI 2012 update 2: no daily data
During the melting season I'm writing (bi-)weekly updates on the current situation with regards to Arctic sea ice (ASI). Because of the demise of AMSR-E the IJIS sea ice extent (SIE) numbers are no longer central to these updates. Instead I now use Cryosphere Today sea ice area (SIA) numbers and...
Nick, Neven: That lead off Banks Island is part of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System that is recurrent. The U of Manitoba has studied it and the following article has a good map of the lead system and polynyas in the northern hemisphere where one might begin to look for the expansion of openings in the ice:
http://web.mac.com/barber1818/iWeb/IPY-CFL/CFL%20program_files/CFL_summary-3.pdf
This is a link to the Centre for Earth Observation Science at the U of M and the studies that were conducted:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/environment/departments/ceos/research/cfl.html
Commented May 1, 2012 on 2011/2012 Winter Analysis at Arctic Sea Ice
2011/2012 Winter Analysis
I'm starting this blog post off with a conclusion that was reached a while back already: sea ice on the Atlantic side of the Arctic looks vulnerable, sea ice on the Pacific side should be thicker. Right, with that out of the way we can now look at various aspects of the 2011/2012 freezing seaso...
Any estimates on the thickness of the ice in this lead off Banks Island,Canada? The Lance-Modis image is 250m pixel size.
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r04c02.2012117.terra.250m&vectors=coast
Commented Apr 27, 2012 on ASI 2012 update 1: a new beginning at Arctic Sea Ice
ASI 2012 update 1: a new beginning
During the melting season I'm writing (bi-)weekly updates on the current situation with regards to Arctic sea ice (ASI). Because of the demise of AMSR-E the IJIS sea ice extent (SIE) numbers are no longer central to these updates. Instead I now use Cryosphere Today sea ice area (SIA) numbers and...
Phil 263
On the CT calendar, isn't the first day every year designated .0000? Then, .0027 (1/365) is day 2. That is, .0027 X 365 = 1 +1 = day 2. So, .2877 x 365 = 105 + 1 = day 106! Leap year 2004 had two .1644 dates and leap year 2008 had two .4438 dates. Any bets when leap year 2012 will duplicate dates?
Commented Apr 18, 2012 on April 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
April 2012 Open Thread
Just like with calling the CT SIA maximum, I can't even get the timing for the last open thread right. But the March open thread was getting full. This should be the last one. I think. image by Paul Nicklen, found on the Narwhal's Left Tooth blog I'll be gone for a couple of days, but should be...
Philiponfire,
I believe that is the Hell Gate Polynya between Ellesmere Island and Devon Island at the Norwegian Bay end of Jones Sound.
http://www.canoekayak.com/files/2011/03/ellesmere-island-map-lg.jpg
Commented Apr 13, 2012 on April 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
April 2012 Open Thread
Just like with calling the CT SIA maximum, I can't even get the timing for the last open thread right. But the March open thread was getting full. This should be the last one. I think. image by Paul Nicklen, found on the Narwhal's Left Tooth blog I'll be gone for a couple of days, but should be...
The Hudson Strait near Kimmirut (very top of LANCE-MODIS image) appears to be fairly free of ice.
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r02c01.2012097.terra.367.250m&vectors=coast
Commented Apr 6, 2012 on April 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
April 2012 Open Thread
Just like with calling the CT SIA maximum, I can't even get the timing for the last open thread right. But the March open thread was getting full. This should be the last one. I think. image by Paul Nicklen, found on the Narwhal's Left Tooth blog I'll be gone for a couple of days, but should be...
In this MODIS tera 250m Bands 3-6-7 image from day 72(vector option coast only) Arctic_ r02c05 Subset, one can see tendrils of ice reaching across open sea towards a partially iced Kara Strait.
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r02c05.2012072.terra.367.250m&vectors=coast
If you are not sure of of the meaning of the bands (I'm sure many are), the colors of the image are explained in the link below.
http://lance.nasa.gov/imagery/rapid-response/frequently-asked-questions/#faq04
Commented Mar 12, 2012 on March 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
March 2012 Open Thread
This will be the last open thread of the freezing season. Use it wisely. image found here
A rare FE-3 tornado came through my town in Western Mass, USA last June 1st travelling for 63km. The link below is noaa's take on tornado season and whether or not tornadoes are connected to El Nino and climate change. Find the info under tornado climatology and data.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#Climatology
Commented Mar 4, 2012 on March 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
March 2012 Open Thread
This will be the last open thread of the freezing season. Use it wisely. image found here
Many good photos from the Healy AloftConn of the ice in Nome's harbor and of the Russian tanker Renda as it prepares to deliver diesel fuel and gasoline to the town.
http://icefloe.net/Aloftcon_Photos/albums/2012/20120115-0201.jpeg
Commented Jan 15, 2012 on January 2012 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
January 2012 Open Thread
Welcome to 2012! It's a leap year, so I predict some confusion with yearly comparisons by date after March 1st. About a month later the melting seasons starts again. Time flies almost as fast as summer ice disappears! The NSIDC has a new monthly summary out for December. The part I found most ...
Notes from yet another climate change site: This a map of Western Massachusetts, USA, October 28, 2011.
http://www.wwlp.com/subindex/weather/snow_forecast
And today the webcam from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada showed polar bears hanging out on snowless tundra waiting for the ice.
Commented Oct 29, 2011 on October 2011 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
October 2011 Open Thread
Unlike last year the Arctic Sea Ice blog isn't going into full hibernation. We are sleeping with one eye open... There will be a new open thread at the start of every month to discuss the recent going-ons in the Arctic (ice, SSTs, weather, etc) and interesting news pertaining to it. For instan...
Check this out:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/27/2475002/cameras-stream-canadian-polar.html
http://www.explore.org/#!/photos/player/polar-bear-cam-setup
Commented Oct 28, 2011 on October 2011 Open Thread at Arctic Sea Ice
October 2011 Open Thread
Unlike last year the Arctic Sea Ice blog isn't going into full hibernation. We are sleeping with one eye open... There will be a new open thread at the start of every month to discuss the recent going-ons in the Arctic (ice, SSTs, weather, etc) and interesting news pertaining to it. For instan...
A unique ecosystem was lost with the crumbling of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf and the destruction of its epishelf lake. The change was sudden and gone was the chance to study microbial communities that form the base of the food chain from which arctic ocean life draws its energy.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/wardhunt/
Commented Sep 29, 2011 on You do it to your shelf at Arctic Sea Ice
You do it to your shelf
Hat-tip to Twemoran and the Idiot Tracker ( I had to read it in two places within 15 minutes of each other to get the significance of this): Canadian Ice Shelves Breaking up at High Speed As Patrick Lockerby noted back in April: The oldest non-glacial ice in the northern hemisphere is a small r...
It is just stunning to see in the animations below how rapidly, in only days, these massive areas of ice break away from the ice shelf where they have been secured for thousands of years and stream towards the Beaufort Sea.
http://www.people.trentu.ca/~dmueller/iceshelfloss2008/serson.html
http://www.people.trentu.ca/~dmueller/iceshelfloss2008/wardhunt.html
Commented Sep 29, 2011 on You do it to your shelf at Arctic Sea Ice
You do it to your shelf
Hat-tip to Twemoran and the Idiot Tracker ( I had to read it in two places within 15 minutes of each other to get the significance of this): Canadian Ice Shelves Breaking up at High Speed As Patrick Lockerby noted back in April: The oldest non-glacial ice in the northern hemisphere is a small r...
Below is a favorite image of mine of Dr. Derek Mueller wading in a meltwater lake of the Markham Ice Shelf. This is the true image of our graphs, our math, our maps of bright, false colors: The meeting of two ends of the food chain that need each other.
http://www.people.trentu.ca/~dmueller/iceshelfloss2008/markham.html
Commented Sep 29, 2011 on You do it to your shelf at Arctic Sea Ice
You do it to your shelf
Hat-tip to Twemoran and the Idiot Tracker ( I had to read it in two places within 15 minutes of each other to get the significance of this): Canadian Ice Shelves Breaking up at High Speed As Patrick Lockerby noted back in April: The oldest non-glacial ice in the northern hemisphere is a small r...
Yikes! CNN unleashed the masses!
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/12/arctic-ice-levels-hit-historic-low-researchers-say/?hpt=hp_t2
Commented Sep 12, 2011 on First uptick IJIS at Arctic Sea Ice
First uptick IJIS
This is another one of those small signs that the combination of ice thickness and warm waters are overruling the influence of weather conditions. For the first time this melting season the IJIS numeric data of sea ice extent file is showing an uptick for yesterday's extent number after revision...
Twemoran, thanks for your observations. The Ward Hunt, as have the Ayles and Markham, will cease to exist, sooner than later. The fractures are deep and the fresh water from the epishelf lake is no longer there to add ice to the bottom of the shelf. It will exist as icebergs in the beaufort to intimidate the oil interests.
Commented Sep 12, 2011 on Historical Minimum in Sea Ice Extent at Arctic Sea Ice
Historical Minimum in Sea Ice Extent
The Arctic sea ice extent index calculated by a University of Bremen research team led by Dr. Georg Heygster reached a new historical low point of 4.24 million km2 on September 8. The previous one-day minimum was 4.27 million km2 on September 17, 2007 (Figure 1). The usual melt season is not yet...
Twemoran, when you mention the "sliver of ice" are you speaking of the ice just north of Ward Hunt Island? Are you saying that soon the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf will fracture and separate from its grounding line?
Considering how quickly the epishelf lake drained in 2002, change can occur in a very short time. I was looking at images of this ice shelf from 2002, 2010, and 2011 day 239 and the ice shelf to the west of Ward Hunt Island looks similar in all 3 and similar to the image from day 253.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45463
http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r03c03.2011239.terra.250m&vectors=none
Commented Sep 12, 2011 on Historical Minimum in Sea Ice Extent at Arctic Sea Ice
Historical Minimum in Sea Ice Extent
The Arctic sea ice extent index calculated by a University of Bremen research team led by Dr. Georg Heygster reached a new historical low point of 4.24 million km2 on September 8. The previous one-day minimum was 4.27 million km2 on September 17, 2007 (Figure 1). The usual melt season is not yet...
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