@ Oren......thanks for that map.......are the Chukchi and East Siberian seas really that shallow?
ESAS is the largest continental shelf in the world, i heard. Huge area of shallow waters indeed, in any case.
I've just been thinking what would be the effects if even more of ESAS will lose ice cover any time soon, and so far i can see only one significant negative feedback: expect increased cloud cover in Arctic if ESAS gets burned early in the season, i think. Shallow waters warm up real quick in compare to deep ocean areas, and warmer water produces correspondedly more evaporation, much of which will end up forming up clouds in Arctic itself, right?
I think about it in conjunction to known positive feedbacks of early-open ESAS (whole or any significant part of) during a melting season, such as tremendous positive feedback long-term (CH4 emissions), which is significant positive feedback short-term, also. Any extra CH4 has biggest GHG effect exactly where and when it entered the athmosphere, of course, and obviously extra-warm water from ESAS will contribute to warm ocean currents during the season, as well. More moisture and more energy in the athmosphere should also increase probability of late-season GAC(s) to happen over the Arctic (and we know how destructive to ASI those can be). Obviously grim consequences for the following melt seasons also apply. So, open ESAS is not "good" for the ice overall (who'd doubt). But at least that negative feedback about more clouds compensates a bit, "for now".
Any big silly errors in my mumbling here?