Global sea ice extent is at a record low, dipping to 16 million square km for the first time since continual satellite records commenced 40 years ago.

Sea ice extent is tracking low in both hemispheres. In the Arctic, an average winter would see sea ice extent peak in early March at around 15.5 million square km. Instead, sea ice extent appears to already have peaked in early February at around 13.9 million square km.

Similarly, the average minimum in the Antarctic is around 2.8 million square km, but sea ice extent is already around 2.1 million with several weeks of melting expected to come. For the second year in a row, Marie Byrd Land’s coast is completely clear of sea ice.

Whoopie doo.

I didn’t realise, until now, that the Aleutian Islands mark the boundary between the Pacific ocean and the Bering sea.

Forty years,hey. Not even two generations.

;)

dv said:

Global sea ice extent is at a record low, dipping to 16 million square km for the first time since continual satellite records commenced 40 years ago.

Sea ice extent is tracking low in both hemispheres. In the Arctic, an average winter would see sea ice extent peak in early March at around 15.5 million square km. Instead, sea ice extent appears to already have peaked in early February at around 13.9 million square km.

Similarly, the average minimum in the Antarctic is around 2.8 million square km, but sea ice extent is already around 2.1 million with several weeks of melting expected to come. For the second year in a row, Marie Byrd Land’s coast is completely clear of sea ice.

Got a ten year forecast?

Is that global ice extent, or southern hemisphere? If global, why does it peak in southern hemisphere winter?

How’s that NorthWest passage going?

buffy said:

How’s that NorthWest passage going?

going going gone.

North to Alaska, go north the rush is on.

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

How’s that NorthWest passage going?

going going gone.

Still doesn’t seem to be open every year, but those years it is it can be navigated by small to medium yachts. Seems a bit shallow in places for large commercial vessels.

btm said:

Is that global ice extent,

Yes.
I think I mentioned that a couple of times.

If global, why does it peak in southern hemisphere winter?

Briefly, because the variation between summer extent and winter extent is greater in the Southern hemisphere than in the Northern hemisphere.

dv said:

btm said:

Is that global ice extent,

Yes.
I think I mentioned that a couple of times.

I think you have, and that’s the title of the graph too.

If global, why does it peak in southern hemisphere winter?

Briefly, because the variation between summer extent and winter extent is greater in the Southern hemisphere than in the Northern hemisphere.

Fair enough. I’m curious about why, though, so I’ll have to investigate that some more.

I wonder if this data will be published and widely circulated in China and India?

party_pants said:

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

How’s that NorthWest passage going?

going going gone.

Still doesn’t seem to be open every year, but those years it is it can be navigated by small to medium yachts. Seems a bit shallow in places for large commercial vessels.

Thanks for that update.

btm said:

dv said:

btm said:

Is that global ice extent,

Yes.
I think I mentioned that a couple of times.

I think you have, and that’s the title of the graph too.

If global, why does it peak in southern hemisphere winter?

Briefly, because the variation between summer extent and winter extent is greater in the Southern hemisphere than in the Northern hemisphere.

Fair enough. I’m curious about why, though, so I’ll have to investigate that some more.

It is partly just the geography (positioning of land and sea) but note that Earth is at perihelion in the southern Summer, so in general the southern variation in temperature is bigger than the northern.

I put up a pic of the Bel Air yesterday..
Here it was earlier in the day..

sorry fred wong

Formatting on my last post was out:

dv said:

btm said:

Fair enough. I’m curious about why, though, so I’ll have to investigate that some more.

It is partly just the geography (positioning of land and sea) but note that Earth is at perihelion in the southern Summer, so in general the southern variation in temperature is bigger than the northern.