Arctic Regional Synopsis
Regional charts and associated synopsis write-up capture ice and environmental conditions throughout the Arctic which are based on the U.S. National Ice Center’s weekly analysis. Charts and synopses are updated weekly on Fridays. Note: Baltic Sea analysis is provided by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The Canadian Archipelago (Canada East, Canada North, Canada West, and Hudson Bay) analysis is provided by the Canadian Ice Service.
Regional Quick Access
Barents Sea
Ice around Franz Josef Land washed out due to warmer waters from the west while the multiyear ice continues to erode forming rotten ice. Mobile Ice in the Barents North West continues to track south and east with movement of the ice edge averaging extensions of 28NM up to 37NM in some portions.
Canada East
Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Ungava Bay, Frobisher Bay, and Cumberland Sound are bergy water. Lake Melville is ice-free.
Canada North
The Arctic Ocean consists of old ice. The mobile ice in Nares Strait consists of mostly old ice with some first-year ice with significant transient new ice. The remaining mobile ice throughout the Queen Elizabeth Islands is a mixture of old ice, firstyear ice and transient new ice. Jones Sound is predominantly bergy water with some old ice remaining in its eastern and western sections. Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait contain bergy water. The remaining ice in the Gulf of Boothia and Committee Bay is first-year. Prince Regent Inlet consists of bergy water.
Canada West
The ice around the Queen Elizabeth Islands is mobile with mostly old with some first-year ice. The ice in the Peary Channels is all old ice. Penny Strait and Queens Chanel are mostly open water with a mix of old ice. Viscount Melville Sound contains a small area of first-year ice with old ice moving south from Byam Martin Channel. Low concentrations of old ice persist north of Banks Island in M’Clure Strait. Barrow Strait has open water, ice-free, and bergy water conditions. M’Clintock Channel is mostly ice free with a small concentration of mobile old ice off the southern shore of Victoria Island, north of Pelly Point. Victoria Strait, Peel Sound, and Larsen Sound are ice-free. Amundsen Gulf, Dolphin, Union Strait, Coronation Gulf, and Queen Maud Gulf are ice-free. The Canada Basin contains old ice with some new ice filling in between the floes. The Beaufort Sea contains predominantly old ice north of 72N while the south portion is open water to ice-free. There’s an area of bergy water north of 72N and between 146W and 159W. The areas along the Yukon coast and the Alaskan Coast are ice-free.
Chukchi Sea
Rotten ice remains north and south of Wrangle Island and 135NM northwest of Alaska.
East Siberian Sea
Remnant multi year ice remains to the west of Wrangle Island. Northerly melt back continues as ice in the northwestern region remains consolidated.
Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea continues to melt out as the ice edge has receded northward. Areas of first year ice have melted and all that remains is multiyear ice.
High Arctic
No synopsis write-up for the High Arctic as it remains consistent throughout this part of the year. A synopsis write-up will begin during summer months as ice retreats and becomes more dynamic in the region.
Hudson Bay
Eastern Foxe Basin contains small amounts of thick first year ice. Hudson Bay and James Bay are ice-free. Hudson Strait is bergy water.
Kara Sea
Sea ice has rapidly melted back and drifted north, resulting in the ice edge receding by over 100NM in some locations. Pack ice remains west of Severna Zemlya and east of Franz Joseph Land.
Laptev Sea
The multi year ice pack remains consolidated as easterly drift continues.
