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numerobis

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Gulf of Saint Lawrence
« on: April 01, 2013, 07:07:00 PM »
Looking at the NSIDC March maximum map, I noticed that the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is largely ice-free -- whereas normally it is frozen over.  Indeed, Environment Canada anomaly maps show it very low compared to the normals.  How long has the Gulf been thawed?  I hadn't heard about it in the media.

I wonder how the climate of Newfoundland will be (or has been) affected.

gfwellman

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Re: Gulf of Saint Lawrence
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2013, 10:57:19 PM »
I don't have detailed information for you, but the last few years sea ice in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence area has been significantly below normal, closer to zero than normal.  Check out http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/recent365.anom.region.3.html but note there are some artifacts in the graphs.

numerobis

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Re: Gulf of Saint Lawrence
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2013, 12:35:10 AM »
Thanks for the link.

In other words, since 2009/10 there's not been much ice, and before that it had been intermittent since 1997/8.  So effects would be pretty clear in Newfoundland, if there are any to speak of.

gfwellman

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Re: Gulf of Saint Lawrence
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2013, 01:32:18 AM »
That's about how I read that graph.  I don't know how that's affected Newfoundland