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
Most of the Barents Sea is ice free. Ice around Franz Josef Land continues to degrade; all fast ice has become mobile. The ice edge continues to recede northward.
Canada East
The Greenland coast continues to have small amounts of fast and mobile first-year ice north of 74N. In the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, ice continues to deteriorate. All ice south of Norwegian Bay is now mostly mobile. Close pack to open drift first-year ice with small amounts of old ice is present in Norwegian Bay and in Jones Sound. Northern Prince Regent Sound, Admiralty Inlet and Pond Inlet are bergy water. Southern Gulf of Boothia and Committee Bay still contains very close pack first-year ice. Pelly Bay is predominantly open water. In Davis Strait, first-year ice with a trace of old ice surrounds the Hall Peninsula. Frobisher Bay contains bergy water. The Labrador Coast is bergy water.
Canada North
The Arctic Ocean northwest of Ellesmere Island contains predominantly old ice with small amounts of first-year ice. Nares Strait is now fully mobile. The ice in this area is predominantly old ice, with some first-year ice mixed in. Much of Cumberland Sound is bergy water. Small amounts of first-year ice including a trace of old ice are present in the southeastern section. Northern Baffin Bay, eastern Lancaster Sound, and eastern Davis Strait are predominantly bergy water. The pack ice in southern Baffin Bay and western Davis Strait continues to diminish and contains first-year ice with a trace of old ice.
Canada West
The Parry Islands and Sverdrup Islands contain old and first-year fast ice. The remaining areas of the Queen Elizabeth Islands contain mobile ice, comprised of old ice and first-year ice. M’Clure Strait contains predominantly old ice with some first-year ice. Viscount Melville Sound contains predominantly first-year ice with a trace of old ice in its eastern section. Barrow Strait contains predominantly first-year ice with a trace of old ice, with openings of bergy water along the islands to the north. M’Clintock Channel, Franklin Strait, and Peel Sound contain first-year ice, with an expanding area of bergy water along the southwest coast of Prince of Wales Island and the western coastlines of Somerset Island and the Boothia Peninsula. Dolphin and Union Strait and western Coronation Gulf contain first-year ice. The eastern end of Coronation Gulf, Dease Strait, and western Queen Maud Gulf are ice-free. The eastern end of Queen Maud Gulf and Victoria Strait contain open water. Rae Strait is ice-free and James Ross Strait is open water. The western region of Amundsen Gulf contains a mix of old ice and first-year ice. There is a very open drift of first-year ice lingering at the entrance to Prince Albert Sound. The remainder of the gulf is open water. Bergy/open water lines the coast of Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Mackenzie Bay, Kugmallit Bay and Liverpool Bay are ice-free. There is a very open drift of old ice north of Tuktoyaktuk which is adjacent to predominantly old ice with some first-year ice. The ice pack north and east of Point Barrow contains a mix of old ice and first-year ice which is bordered by predominantly old ice with some first-year ice to the north. The ice in the Beaufort Sea and southern Arctic Ocean is mostly old with some first-year ice.
Chukchi Sea
Summer melt is affecting both the first-year and multiyear sea ice throughout the Chukchi Sea. As the sea ice deteriorates, abundant formation of weaknesses continues. Additionally, the ice surrounding Wrangel Island has become unfasted.
East Siberian Sea
Ice free areas throughout the East Siberian Sea continue to expand due to persistent warm sea surface temperatures accelerating sea ice deterioration. The ice pack is gradually drifting northward.
Greenland Sea
Fast ice continues to deteriorate throughout the Greenland Sea due to riverine output of warmer, fresher water. Most of southern Greenland is ice free. The ice edge just north of the Denmark Strait retreated by 45 NM on average.
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
In Hudson Bay, very little first-year ice remains along its southern coast and near the Belcher Islands, while ice-free conditions have expanded across most of the region. James Bay is ice-free. Fury and Hecla Strait and extreme northwestern Foxe Basin are very open drift first-year ice. The rest of northern and eastern Foxe Basin is close to very close pack first-year ice. Large areas of open water are present in southern Foxe Basin. Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay contain bergy water. Lake Melville is ice-free.
Kara Sea
The majority of the Kara Sea is ice free, with small areas of high concentrations to the north. The pack ice along Novaya Zemlya continues to degrade. Fast ice throughout Severnaya Zemlya has started to deteriorate.
Laptev Sea
Seasonally warm sea surface temperatures continue to cause ice degradation, particularly around Severnaya Zemlya. Fast ice is beginning to fracture near the New Siberian islands. Areas of open water are continuing to expand.
