Neven - Arctic Sea Ice Facing Thermal & Weather Squeeze From Two Directions

[hatrack]

EDIT

May 27th 2016

After an unprecedented warm winter and an unprecedented early opening of the Beaufort Sea, the 2016 melting season isn't showing any signs of shrugging off the 'unprecedented' label. What has struck me most so far, is that unprecedented things have been happening on both the Pacific and Atlantic side of the Arctic.

I've been closely observing events in the Arctic for almost a decade now, and have been writing about them since 2010, and during that time I have gotten used to this sort of see-saw, where fast melting on one side of the Arctic would be compensated by events unfolding slowly on the other side of the Arctic. But this year is different. This year the ice pack is under attack on both sides of the Arctic.

I have written separate blog posts to describe these events (see here and here), and in weeks to come these ASI updates will provide a comprehensive overview on what is happening to the sea ice in the Arctic, and how this melting season is unfolding.



EDIT

As commenter Jim Pettit wrote on the Arctic Sea Ice Forum earlier today:

1,220,829 km2 below 2000s average for this date.
763,419 km2 below 2010s average for this date.
529,970 km2 below 2015 value for this date.
1,090,443 km2 below 2012 value for this date.

Lowest year-to-date (01 January - 26 May) average.
Lowest May to-date average.
Lowest value for the date.

92 days this year (63.01% year-to-date) have recorded the lowest daily extent.
27 days (18.49%) have recorded the second lowest.
14 days (9.59%) have recorded the third lowest.
133 days in total (91.1%) have been among the lowest three on record.

EDIT

http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2016/05/asi-2016-update-1-both-sides.html#more

[pscot]

1. 2 million or bust!