I have to think that this lack of fragmentation is a 'Thing'? I've been watching out for the type of fragmentation/'Crackopalypse' event to occur from late Jan onward and nothing, on the scale of recent past winters, has occurred in Beaufort?
My only clue is watching the Trans Arctic Drift, above Greenland, where we know there is 'thick, older ice, and see what is happening there? To me that areas shows the type of 'fragmentation' that I had been kind of expecting to occur across Beaufort. I have to think that the pressures are present to drive the type of 'crackopalypse event' we have seen at recent winters end but the new grown ice behaves differently to the type of 'conglomeration of varying sizes of floe glued together by FY ice' that had been present across Beaufort in previous years??
If Pancake ice is the seed for this ice than it may well have the ability to move like chain mail and absorb motion?
Like the movement of ball pool balls compared to sheets of Styrofoam?