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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.

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Baltic Sea

The ice in the Bay of Bothnia driftis to northeast. In the northern Bay of Bothnia 40-70 cm thick fast ice and consolidated ice to Kemi 3, Oulu 3 and Raahe lighthouse. Farther out, 30-70 cm thick ridged, very close ice. The ice field is in places difficult to force. Leads and cracks in places in the ice field. In the southern Bay of Bothnia 30-65 cm thick fast ice in the archipelago. To west from Kaarlo 10-35 cm thick very close ice. Farther south, to the Quark, thin open ice including some thicker ice floes. In the Quark west of Odelgrund 10-50 cm thick close and very close ice with old ridges in places. East of Odelgrund 10-30 cm thick ice with varying concentration and new ice. In the Vaasa archipelago 35-60 cm thick fast ice to Ensten. Farther out 10-30 cm thick drift ice with varying concentration and new ice. In the Bothnian Sea 20-55 cm thick fast ice in the archipelago. Off the coast new ice, in places with 10-30 cm thick drift ice. Farther out ice formation in places. In the Archipelago Sea 25-50 cm thick fast ice in the inner archipelago and 10-30 cm thick ice in the outer archipelago. In the western Gulf of Finland 10-40 cm thick fast ice in the inner archipelago. Off the coast 10-25 cm thick drift ice with varying concentration and new ice approximately to 8 nautical miles south of the line Ajax - Helsinki lighthouse. Farther out mostly open water. In the eastern Gulf of Finland 30-60 cm thick fast ice and level ice in the archipelago. Farther out 10-35 cm thick drift ice with varying concentration and new ice approximately to 15 nautical miles west of Mohn and to Tyters.

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Barents Sea

Light winds throughout the week helped keep the ice edge around the same area as last week. Any polynyas from last week have been frozen over.

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Bering Sea

Storm systems over the northwest Pacific have caused notable ice loss along the southern coast of Russia. Warmer air temperatures have led to a decrease in fasted ice and significantly lessened the amount of new ice growth. Winds have forced first year against coastal areas, especially on the eastern coast of Kamchatka, narrowing the ice edge between 20-40NM in this region. Several days of northerly winds in the Bering Sea have pushed first year ice southward, extending the ice edge up to 50NM and opened large swaths of new ice south of St. Lawrence Island and the Seward Peninsula.

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Canada East

The Archipelago contains a mixture of old and first-year fast ice. The ice in Barrow Strait contains first-year ice with a trace of old ice. Foxe Basin contains mostly first-year ice with some young ice present along its western shoreline. Baffin Bay contains mostly first-year ice, with some old ice in its western section. Some young ice is present in northern Baffin Bay. Davis Strait consists of first-year ice with some old ice. Along coastal Greenland the ice is mostly first-year with some young ice.

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Canada North

The Arctic Ocean consists mostly of old ice. Nares Strait contains fast old and first-year ice. Lancaster Sound consists of mostly first-year ice with some old ice present. Prince Regent Inlet contains mostly first-year ice with some old ice extending southward to 71°N. The Gulf of Boothia and Committee Bay contain first-year ice.

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Canada West

The Queen Elizabeth Islands contain fasted old ice and first-year ice. To the northwest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, the ice pack in the Arctic Ocean contains old ice and first-year ice. M’Clure Strait contains first-year ice with a trace of old ice that is fasted throughout, except at the entrance. Viscount Melville Sound contains a mixture of first-year ice and old ice. The western half of Barrow Strait contains first-year fast ice. A trace of old ice is present in the strait at the entrance to Peel Sound. Eastern Barrow Strait contains a mixture of mobile young and first-year ice, with a trace of old ice present in its extreme eastern extent. M’Clintock Channel, Larsen Sound, Queen Maud Gulf, Coronation Gulf, and Dolphin and Union Strait contain fasted first-year ice. A zone of mobile first-year ice remains in Victoria Strait. Amundsen Gulf contains first-year ice. The mobile ice pack along coastal Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska contains first-year ice. The Beaufort Sea contains a large band of predominantly old ice stretching in an arc-like fashion along the west coast of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, across the Beaufort Sea to the western boundary of the analysis area. The most southern boundary of this arc reaches ~72.1°N at 141.4°W. Elsewhere, the ice contains predominantly first-year ice with smaller amounts of old ice. The ice west of Point Barrow is first-year ice.

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Chukchi Sea

Temperatures generally stayed around -20C in the Chukchi helping to maintain the sea ice in this region. Sea ice is tends to be stationary this week.

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Cook Inlet

Freezing temperatures and northerly winds continue, keeping young and thin first-year ice extent consistent other than slight diurnal melt/freeze.

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East Siberian Sea

Sea ice in the East Siberian Sea stayed generally stationary this week. Frigid temperatures continue to aid in the development of the fast ice.

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Greenland Sea

The southern movement of ice in the Greenland sea caused the ice edge to expand 50 NM south over the past week. Higher concentrations of young and new can be found off of the pack ice in the central region. Small pieces of fast ice continue to break off in the northern region.

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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.

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Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay, James Bay and Southern Foxe Basin contain mostly first-year ice with small amounts of young ice along the eastern coast of Hudson Bay. Young ice continues to predominate along the northwestern coast of Hudson Bay. Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay contain mostly first-year ice with some young ice. The ice in Davis Strait is mostly first-year with a trace of old ice. First year ice is predominant in Cumberland Sound. The ice along the Labrador Coast is a mixture of young and first-year ice with a trace of old ice present north of ~55N. Lake Melville contains fast first-year ice.

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Kara Sea

The pack ice in the Kara Sea continues to develop as the region maintains frigid temperatures. New and young ice continue to fill in polynyas that formed as a result of northeast drift of the sea ice.

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Laptev Sea

Temperatures ranged from -24C to as low as -32C in the Laptev this week. These frigid temperatures helped further develop fast ice in some areas.

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Sea of Japan

Fasted ice remains along northern parameter of the basin, to include the eastern shores of China and the western coast of Sakhalin. Within the Sea of Japan, no significant growth or loss has been observed the previous seven days. Mixed first-year and young ice continues to oscillate in a clockwise manner, drifting with sea currents.

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Sea of Okhotsk

Cold outbreaks following frontal passage continue in the Northern Sea of Okhotsk, growing new ice along the southern coasts of Siberia and western coasts of Kamchatka. Small polynyas within the pack ice have opened in the Shelikhov Gulf but are expected to fill quickly. Modest ice loss further south as sea surface temperatures warm, receding the ice edge to around 200-250 nautical miles northwest of the Kuril Islands.

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White Sea

A period of below freezing temperatures has allowed limited new ice to form in the White Sea, especially to the north and along the eastern coast. Large areas of open water remain in the southern White Sea, and westerly winds have pushed a majority of the ice to the east.

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Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea is currently Ice Free.

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