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
Baltic Sea
The ice in the Bay of Bothnia drifts further westward and new ice is forming. In the northern Bay of Bothnia 20-35 cm thick fast ice approximately to Kemi 3 and Kattilankalla. Farther out 10-25 cm thick, in places rafted ice, new ice and shuga approximately 15 nautical miles to southwest of Bothnia-buoy. Off Raahe 5-20 cm thick ice approximately to Jaakko. Farther out first shuga and then thin drift ice to west of Nahkiainen.In the southern Bay of Bothnia 5-20 cm thick fast ice in the archipelago. Off the coast thin drift ice and shuga. In the Quark in the Vaasa archipelago 5-15 cm thick fast ice to Ensten. Farther out thin open and very open drift ice. In the Sea of Bothnia in the inner archipelago thin level ice.In the eastern Gulf of Finland in the inner archipelago thin ice. In the Lake Saimaa and Saimaa Canal 5-25 cm thick ice. Local areas of open water due to currents.
Barents Sea
Strong winds resulted in the formation of openings, allowing new and young ice to develop on the leeward side of Franz Josef Land. The ice along the Russian coast and Novaya Zemlya remained relatively unchanged from the previous week. The ice edge this week is located approximately 5 nautical miles from Bear Island.
Bering Sea
This week, sea ice has completely encircled Karaginsky Island and advanced further south along the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Meanwhile, the ice edge in Bristol Bay has retreated approximately 35 nautical miles compared to its position last week.
Canada East
Most ice within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is fasted and contains predominantly first-year ice, with the addition of old ice south of Ellef Ringnes Island. More than one tenth of old ice exists within the pack ice along the Baffin Island coast and extends as far south as Cape Dyer. The ice remains mobile across the mouth of the sound and contains predominantly first-year ice with some old ice and young ice. Foxe Basin is predominantly first-year ice but includes young ice along parts of the coasts and throughout Frozen Strait and Foxe Channel. Cumberland Sound contains a mixture of first-year ice and young ice.
Canada North
In Nares Strait, the ice is primarily old ice with smaller amounts of first-year and young ice. The ice between Ellef Ringnes Island and Axel Heiberg Island is mobile and contains predominantly first-year ice with some old ice and first year ice. Jones Sound contains fasted first-year ice. Lancaster Sound is predominantly first-year ice. Prince Regent Inlet and the Gulf of Boothia contain first-year ice, with some young ice in Creswell Bay and southern Committee Bay Baffin Bay is predominantly first-year ice with smaller amounts of old ice. The ice pack in the rest of Baffin Bay is primarily first-year ice with young ice existing along the Greenland coast near Disko island.
Canada West
The ice in the Queen Elizabeth Islands is fast with mostly old ice and some first-year ice. Large sections of previously-fasted ice remain mobile along the northern sections of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, including northern Peary Channel, Sverdrup Channel and northern Byam Martin Channel. M’Clure Strait contains mostly old ice in the west which gradually transitions to first-year ice towards the east. Barrow Strait contains first-year ice with a trace of old ice. M’Clintock Channel, Larsen Sound and Victoria Strait comprise mostly mobile first-year ice with fast first-year ice along the coast, while Queen Maud Gulf, Coronation Gulf and Peel Sound contain fast first-year ice. Amundsen Gulf is predominantly first-year ice. The ice along the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska coast is predominantly mobile and fast first-year ice. Beaufort Sea contains first-year ice transitioning to a mix of old ice in the northern section. The old ice continues through Canada Basin.
Chukchi Sea
In the Chukchi Sea from Point Hope to Kotzebue Sound along the coast there is a large polynya that has opened up. North of Point Hope another polynya has opened and A third large polynya from Wainwright to Utqiagvik has opened about 10 miles off the coast. A small area of ice blow out was observed on the south side of Wrangel Island. The Beaufort Gyre has continued to move the ice drift paired with the winds in a southwesterly orientation.
Cook Inlet
New ice has formed and started to thicken the most northern areas. There is an additional area of Sea ice on the more southern bay to the west.
East Siberian Sea
In the East Siberian Sea We continue to see the growth of fasted ice along the entire Russian coast. Around Islands such as Novaya Sibr there are areas of fasted ice that have continued to develop in these areas due to persistent cold conditions. An elongated large polynya has opened to the south of Novaya Sibr.
Greenland Sea
There has been significant movement in the ice this week, with the buoys covering over 77 nautical miles in the past six days. Additionally, ice continues to circulate around southern Greenland.
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
The mobile ice pack in Hudson’s Bay is mostly first-year. New and young ice continues to expand to the east. James Bay is a mix of young and new ice with a little bit of first-year ice. Southern Fox Basin is mainly first-year ice. Hudson Strait consists of new and young ice with some first-year ice in the northeast along the Baffin island coast. In Ungava Bay, new and young ice continues to form along the coast, the center is still bergy water. Frobisher Bay has a mix young and first-year ice. Labrador Coast consists of mostly bergy water with small areas of new and young ice along the coast. Lake Melville consists of new and young ice. A trace of old ice extends down to the mouth of Cumberland Sound. The ice pack in the rest of Davis Strait is primarily first-year ice with young ice existing along the Greenland coast near Disko island.
Kara Sea
This week, the ice-free area near the Kara Strait was filled with a combination of young and predominantly new ice. Strong winds off the coast facilitated the formation of new and young ice on the leeward side of the fast ice and surrounding islands in the area.
Laptev Sea
In the Laptev Sea some of the ice around Severnaya Zemlya has been drifting South East and some of the fasted ice became unfasted. In this same area we appear to have blow out occurring adjacent to the fasted ice as the ice moves southeastward. Temperatures have remained consistently cold to allow the fasted ice to further develop.
Sea of Japan
Ice in Peter the Great Gulf has thickened over the past week, coinciding with a decline in storm activity in the region. In contrast, the ice in Tartar Strait continues to be more dynamic, experiencing significant movement due to prevailing conditions.
Sea of Okhotsk
The sea ice edge along the west coast of Kamchatka has shifted southward this week, while the remainder of the ice edge in the Sea of Okhotsk has remained largely unchanged compared to last week.
White Sea
Easterly winds helped break up the pack ice in Kandalaksha Gulf, while at the same time pushing the ice in Dvina Bay to be more compacted against the coast.
Yellow Sea
Ice in the Yellow Sea has stayed in Liaodong and Korea Bays.
