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
Due to a low pressure system over the past week, Svalbard and Franz Josef Land have experienced persistent easterly winds of around 20 knots, with gusts of 30 knots. The strong winds continued to have a substantial impact on ice conditions throughout the islands. Air temperatures across Svalbard have generally remained too mild to support significant new ice formation, leaving the surrounding sea ice notably degraded.
Bering Sea
As storms continue to move across the Kamchatka Peninsula, bringing warmer temperatures and strong winds, the sea ice there is melting and being pushed along the coast. These storms are having the opposite effect in the Bering Sea, as they either move northward or dissipate, allowing cold air to move south. This, in turn, is pushing the ice edge farther south.
Canada East
The Labrador Sea is bergy water with a mixture of first-year ice, trace of old ice, young ice, and new ice along the Labrador coast. Frobisher Bay and Cumberland Sound contain a mixture of young and new ice. Eureka Sound and Jones Sound comprise fast first-year ice and some old ice. Davis Strait contains mostly first-year ice with some old ice. The Gulf of Boothia and southern Prince Regent Inlet contain first-year ice with a trace of old ice. Northern Prince Regent Inlet is fasted first-year ice with a trace of old ice.
Canada North
The Arctic Ocean contains old ice. In Nares Strait, fast ice contains a mixture of old ice and first-year ice. South of the ice bridge in Smith Sound, there is a mixture of old ice, first-year ice, young ice, and new ice. Lancaster Sound contains mostly first-year ice with some old ice. Baffin Bay contains mostly first-year ice with some old ice. There is young ice and new ice in the southeastern section along the Greenland coast. Cumberland Sound comprises new, young and first-year ice in equal proportions.
Canada West
The waters around the Queen Elizabeth Islands are fast old ice and first-year ice. M’Clure Strait and Viscount Melville Sound contain predominantly fast old ice with some first- year ice. Barrow Strait is fast first-year ice with some old ice in the western section; in the eastern section there is mobile first-year ice, young ice and new ice with a trace of old ice. M’Clintock Channel is fast first-year ice with a trace of old ice. Peel Sound is fast first-year ice with a trace of old ice. Victoria Strait is fast first-year ice. There is an area of mobile first-year ice in the southern section. Queen Maud Gulf and Coronation Gulf are fast first-year ice. Amundsen Gulf is mostly fast first-year ice with a trace of old ice in the northern section. Canada Basin is predominantly old ice with some first-year ice. The Beaufort Sea is predominantly first-year ice with some old ice.
Chukchi Sea
Fast ice continues to develop along the Russian coastline and around Wrangel Island. Minimal sea ice drift has occurred, helping maintain the position of the multiyear ice.
Cook Inlet
The main ice edge in Cook Inlet extends from Anchor Point to Augustine Volcano. There is also ice in Kamishak Bay flowing into Shelikof Strait.
East Siberian Sea
Air temperatures (-14°C to -20°C) and minimal drift have encouraged sea ice conditions to remain consistent throughout the East Siberian Sea.
Greenland Sea
Strong southward drift along the East Greenland Current displaced sea ice up to 100 NM or more over the past week. Below freezing air temperatures (-6°C to -12°C) along the ice edge continue to promote new and young development.
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
James Bay contains first-year ice. Hudson Bay comprises first-year ice with young and new ice forming along the northwestern coast where the pack pulls away. Hudson Strait contains mostly first-year ice with young and new ice along parts of the coasts. Ungava Bay contains mostly first-year ice in the northern and eastern sections with young and new ice in the southwestern section where the pack pulls away from the coast. Foxe Basin contains mostly first-year ice with some young ice present in the western section along the coast.
Kara Sea
Sea ice drifted counterclockwise this week, despite easterly winds (~27 knots) at the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya. These strong easterlies significantly affected the ice edge, notably disrupting the thinner ice. Katabatic winds contributed to small openings in the ice in coastal areas. A developing low pressure system brought warmer air temperatures across the northern Kara Sea, encouraging these openings. In the southern Kara Sea, average air temperatures around -27?°C supported rapid refreezing.
Laptev Sea
Sea ice conditions remain consistent throughout the Laptev Sea. Young ice continues to develop along the fast ice edge as the pack ice drifts northward.
Sea of Japan
In the Sea of Japan, fast ice remains stable. Air temperatures are beginning to warm to around -2 °C, causing sea ice concentration to decrease.
Sea of Okhotsk
Sea ice continues to drift southward and extend off the Sakhalin Island toward Hokkaido, where it melts in warmer waters. The Shelikhov Gulf has seen a big change from a passing storm breaking apart and pushing the ice edge into the coastline; while conditions across the rest of the Sea of Okhotsk remain largely unchanged.
White Sea
Unfavorable environmental conditions degraded the sea ice throughout the White Sea. Air temperatures climbed to 2°C and winds reached up to 22 knots, decreasing sea ice stability and new ice formation.
