National Ice Center Update - Early In October, Still No Ice Forming In Large Areas Of Arctic Basin

[hatrack]

Arctic Basin master map:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/arctic/index.htm

High Arctic West 1 - still about 70% sea ice-free:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/West_Arctic/Hi_West/Hi_West_One/2007/currentcolor.pdf

Chukchi Sea - with the exception of one tiny patch of shore ice in northern Alaska, 100% ice-free:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/west_arctic/Chukchi_Sea/2007/currentcolor.pdf

Beaufort Sea - still about 60% sea ice-free:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/West_Arctic/beaufort_sea/2007/currentcolor.pdf

Kara Sea North - about 80% sea ice-free:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/East_Arctic/Kara_Sea/Kara_Sea_North/2007/currentcolor.pdf

Barents Sea NW - other than some shore ice forming in Svalbard, ice line still well above 80N:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/East_Arctic/Barents_Sea/Barents_Sea_North/2007/Northwest/currentcolor.pdf

Barents Sea NE - The eastern end of Franz Josef Land has some formation between 4 and 8/10ths coverage, but the remainder of the archipelago is 100% ice-free, with the ice line here above 82 or even 83N:
http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/East_Arctic/Barents_Sea/Barents_Sea_North/2007/Northeast/currentcolor.pdf

[Gman]

1. Thanks for posting

As the temperature reaches the low 90's every day now for the last month here in South Texas (I shocked the pool last night to have it ready for swimming this weekend), and absolutely no hope of a cold front for the next week to 10 days, I've wondered about this especially after reading another story somewhere about the massive melt-off in the Arctic ocean in July and August.

If there's little ice forming in the Arctic, there's no cold air up there and there's no seasonal cold front coming anytime soon.

Where would you say the ice line should be by the first week of October?

[kestrel91316]

2. Of course there's no ice forming. It's as warm as a friggin' bathtub

up there still.

But relax. This is all just a natural cycle.

[XemaSab]

3. All the cold air is in Redding

and not in the Arctic. :P