JAXA ARCTIC SEA ICE EXTENT 12,249,504 km2(December 29, 2019)
Extent gain stalled, and now a 10 k drop. A 2 day wonder?
- Extent gain on this day -10 k, 84 k LESS than the average gain (of the last 10 years) of 74 k,
- Extent gain in this freezing season to date is 8,285 k, 462 k (5.9%) MORE than the average last 10 years gain to date of 7,823 k.
- Extent is 6th lowest in the satellite record,
- Extent is 223 k more than 2016
- Extent is 285 k more than 2018
- Extent is 57 k (0.5%) more than the 2010's average.
- on average 79.5 % of extent gain for the the season done, 73 days on average to maximum.
We are well into the period when usually extent gains slow down - this year very different so far until these last two days.
Projections.
Average remaining extent gain in the last 10 years from this date produces a maximum of 14.27 million km2, above the lowest in the satellite record by 0.39 million km2.
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Ice Gain Outlook??
+ve SST (but diminishing) anomalies persist in parts of the Bering Sea, the southern end of Baffin Bay, and a patch south of Svalbard.
GFS says Arctic temperature anomalies range from +0.7 to -1.3 celsius over the next 5 days, Bering Sea area looking very cold, with persistent north winds from the Chuckchi.
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