2015 Arctic Sea Ice Thread

[macdoc]

Does that count as "open ocean"?

 

[aleCcowaN]

We're almost there! There's a couple of "warm" days expected and that's all folks. The data according to IJIS hit a minimum last 8th and started to go up (now it's 60k sq.k. larger), fighting with 2011 for the third position. Average temperatures above 80°N are now -6°C and dropping fast.

There are no very favourable conditions to create ice during the next 6 months so we could see the minimum sea ice extent to drop further next year. We'll have to wait at least to 2017 for a record breaker.

 

[CapelDodger]

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86607&eocn=home&eoci=iotd_readmore

Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its annual minimum. According to a preliminary analysis of satellite data by scientists at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), sea ice extent shrank to 4.41 million square kilometers (1.70 million square miles) on September 11, 2015. The year will rank as the fourth lowest ice coverage since space-based observations began in 1978.

So there we probably have it. Attention turns now to the quality of the ice - how much is multi-year and how fragmented is that? - and the re-freeze.

It's also Nature's way of telling us it's time to chop some logs (in my hemisphere anyway).

 

[aleCcowaN]

Wow! They were fast to make that public. It seems the weather forecast for next week made it (Ice in Chukchi and Beaufort going up). Fourth minimum extent on instrumental record, following 2012, 2007 and 2011, +120,000 sq.k. above the latter's.

We have now an interesting period for global sea ice starting. Global sea ice anomaly is nearly record. Arctic ice has less favourable conditions to be formed, and most importantly, Antarctic sea ice is now more than one million square kilometres below last year's with a trend to keep such gap, which would have important consequences during next November and December for the global climate and the cryosphere itself.

 

[aleCcowaN]

Minimum Arctic sea ice volume of 5,682 km3 on September 11th, according to PIOMAS (~1,100 less than 2014's and almost exactly 2,000 more than 2012's).

Special attention to Antarctic sea ice as it looks the anomaly show is moving there.

 

[aleCcowaN]

Arctic sea ice volume of 8,563 km3 by October 31st, about the same value for that date in 2013, 2000 less than 2012's but 1200 more than 2014's. Temperatures in the region pretty normal (the new normal). Thank Darwinsh for the feedbacks (for the not aware of, the less ice there are the easier new ice is created)

The polar shows are probably programmed for 2017 and 2018.

 

[Trakar]

Arctic sea ice volume of 8,563 km3 by October 31st, about the same value for that date in 2013, 2000 less than 2012's but 1200 more than 2014's. Temperatures in the region pretty normal (the new normal). Thank Darwinsh for the feedbacks (for the not aware of, the less ice there are the easier new ice is created)

The polar shows are probably programmed for 2017 and 2018.

I was thinking more 2020, but you may be correct about 2018, depending on how shallow the next few la Niña's are.