1
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: May 05, 2017, 03:55:42 PM »
seaicesailor, maybe not 25 km thick? Maybe 25 m? Hoping not 25 cm.
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2
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: May 05, 2017, 03:47:18 PM »
Tor, great chronology of the "toe floe"--thanks.
That big ship-shaped piece on the Greenland side of Kane Basin has floated her substantial stern well out into the road today.
That big ship-shaped piece on the Greenland side of Kane Basin has floated her substantial stern well out into the road today.
3
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: May 02, 2017, 10:18:02 PM »
Yet another Arctic visitor to Newfoundland shores this spring.
Koo koo ka choo!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/walrus-spotted-st-lunaire-griquet-1.4095195
Photos by Ruby Taylor Peyton.
Koo koo ka choo!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/walrus-spotted-st-lunaire-griquet-1.4095195
Photos by Ruby Taylor Peyton.
4
Arctic background / Northwest Atlantic research
« on: May 01, 2017, 12:16:03 AM »
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/atlantic-research-climate-change-1.4089748
Article clips:
Scientists from six countries have teamed up on a slow boat from Newfoundland to Ireland to take a hard look at the possible effects of climate change on the northwest Atlantic Ocean.....
One of the mysteries the researchers are trying to shed light on is: Why is climate change affecting Newfoundland differently from other parts of the world?....
Newfoundland saw a lot of icebergs early this year. While Wallace said it's difficult to place a one-year event within a long-term pattern of climate change, he said there is more fresh water, including icebergs, moving south, and that could affect ocean currents....
"Typically waters between Labrador and Greenland sink but if the water becomes too fresh, that process can slow down or even, I suppose, stop. So, the icebergs might be just one hint of that."
NB Neven, again, please change my subject line, or move this, as warranted.
Article clips:
Scientists from six countries have teamed up on a slow boat from Newfoundland to Ireland to take a hard look at the possible effects of climate change on the northwest Atlantic Ocean.....
One of the mysteries the researchers are trying to shed light on is: Why is climate change affecting Newfoundland differently from other parts of the world?....
Newfoundland saw a lot of icebergs early this year. While Wallace said it's difficult to place a one-year event within a long-term pattern of climate change, he said there is more fresh water, including icebergs, moving south, and that could affect ocean currents....
"Typically waters between Labrador and Greenland sink but if the water becomes too fresh, that process can slow down or even, I suppose, stop. So, the icebergs might be just one hint of that."
NB Neven, again, please change my subject line, or move this, as warranted.
5
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: April 29, 2017, 10:52:43 PM »
Re current Newfoundland ice: there is certainly a lot of hilarious mileage being made on that Ferryland iceberg. All looks like typical media hype to me.
The most recent Canadian Ice Service "stages of development" chart shows that the vast majority of ice on our NE coast is first-year ice of various thicknesses. This is in the context of bergy water in the entire Labrador Sea and coastal Newfoundland environs. So, current ice around Newfoundland is a combo of both sea ice and glacial ice----and 'twas ever thus, as far as I can recall. Nothing so remarkable about this year at all.
When I was a child in the 1960s, ice forecasts on the wireless would routinely mention "blue ice" as part of the mix: thus, "concentration 4/10ths grey ice, 1/10 blue ice". I was always told that blue ice came from glaciers, and was therefore different from all the surrounding pack ice, which incidentally forms the whelping grounds of the harp and hood seals.
The blue ice is the stuff that sparkles in your G&T, btw. Tourism operators will not tell you this.
The most recent Canadian Ice Service "stages of development" chart shows that the vast majority of ice on our NE coast is first-year ice of various thicknesses. This is in the context of bergy water in the entire Labrador Sea and coastal Newfoundland environs. So, current ice around Newfoundland is a combo of both sea ice and glacial ice----and 'twas ever thus, as far as I can recall. Nothing so remarkable about this year at all.
When I was a child in the 1960s, ice forecasts on the wireless would routinely mention "blue ice" as part of the mix: thus, "concentration 4/10ths grey ice, 1/10 blue ice". I was always told that blue ice came from glaciers, and was therefore different from all the surrounding pack ice, which incidentally forms the whelping grounds of the harp and hood seals.
The blue ice is the stuff that sparkles in your G&T, btw. Tourism operators will not tell you this.
6
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: April 27, 2017, 01:03:05 PM »
Tor, thank you for posting these images with your commentary. I want to learn more about what I am looking at here, and find your posts instructive and helpful.
7
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: Petermann Gletscher / Petermann Fjord / North West Greenland
« on: April 26, 2017, 05:03:00 PM »
NASA blog today on the new crack in Petermann.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2017/04/24/petermann-glaciers-new-crack/
More details here:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90043
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2017/04/24/petermann-glaciers-new-crack/
More details here:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90043
8
Arctic background / 2017 SWIPA report
« on: April 25, 2017, 10:19:25 PM »
The 2017 Snow, Water, Ice, and Permafrost in the Arctic report and "Summary for Policy Makers" is released in advance of the meeting of the Arctic Council on May 11.
The work of over 90 scientists is included in this report, including Dr David Barber of the U of Manitoba.
LInk to summary:
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3677458-SNOW-WATER-ICE-AND-PERMAFROST-SUMMARY-FOR-POLICY.html#document/p1
Accompanying video:
Article in Science Nordic: http://sciencenordic.com/new-report-how-arctic-will-look-30-years
Links to previous (2011) report and other info: http://www.amap.no/swipa/
Neven, I wasn't sure where to put this. Hope this is okay.
The work of over 90 scientists is included in this report, including Dr David Barber of the U of Manitoba.
LInk to summary:
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3677458-SNOW-WATER-ICE-AND-PERMAFROST-SUMMARY-FOR-POLICY.html#document/p1
Accompanying video:
Article in Science Nordic: http://sciencenordic.com/new-report-how-arctic-will-look-30-years
Links to previous (2011) report and other info: http://www.amap.no/swipa/
Neven, I wasn't sure where to put this. Hope this is okay.
9
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 25, 2017, 06:25:43 PM »
A stunning collection of NASA IceBridge 2017 photos by NASA Goddard scientist Jeremy Harbeck.
https://jeremyharbeck.smugmug.com/Field-WorkExpeditions/Operation-IceBridge-2017-Arctic
https://jeremyharbeck.smugmug.com/Field-WorkExpeditions/Operation-IceBridge-2017-Arctic
10
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 25, 2017, 06:23:20 PM »
In just over a month in Newfoundland and Labrador we saw one far off iceberg.
A friend is headed to Ferryland this summer and is hoping the bergs there are long gone, says it chills the whole area.
Great photo
Terry
Terry, I'm with your friend. Ice is lovely to look at but it always means colder waters and thus a likelihood of a slower spring and/or cooler, damper summer. All depends on the wind, which is why all true Newfoundlanders pray for six weeks of sou'westerlies starting just about now.
11
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 25, 2017, 12:18:46 AM »
Cape Bauld light, at the very tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, today. Lat 51.6N. Just a few minutes from the UNESCO Norse site at L'Anse aux Meadows. Canadian Ice Service charts for today show sea ice extending hundreds of km northwards from here.
PS In summertime, the lightkeeper's house, now disused as such, is a B&B.
PHOTO BY SHARON KEAN.
PS In summertime, the lightkeeper's house, now disused as such, is a B&B.
PHOTO BY SHARON KEAN.
12
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 22, 2017, 01:49:50 AM »A friend found this useful iceberg locator:
http://icebergfinder.com/
Hi Susan, that site, which is run by the tourism dept of the provincial government, relies on reports by "ambassadors" and thus gives only a partial picture of the berg situation on our coast.
A more complete picture is compiled daily by the Canadian Ice Service. Click "East Coast", then scroll down to "Daily Iceberg Analysis Chart." The graphic gives the numbers of bergs in each section of the map.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/glaces-ice/default.asp?lang=En&n=D32C361E-1&grp=Guest&mn=&lang=en
If you are on FB, check out "Newfoundland Iceberg Reports", a group which is very current and features photos and local information, also lots of locals posting who are happy to help visitors locate icebergs.
13
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: What's new in Greenland?
« on: April 21, 2017, 04:59:39 PM »
NASA OMG blog by science communicator Laura Faye Tenebaum on Greenland: "A vast melting desert."
".....Over my headset, I can hear the pilots discussing the flight path with the instrument engineers. Out the window, I can see Greenland’s northernmost glaciers below us; white upon white upon white. They sure appear stable, still, enduring. But they’re not. They’re melting..."
https://climate.nasa.gov/blog/2578/a-vast-melting-desert/
Good read.
".....Over my headset, I can hear the pilots discussing the flight path with the instrument engineers. Out the window, I can see Greenland’s northernmost glaciers below us; white upon white upon white. They sure appear stable, still, enduring. But they’re not. They’re melting..."
https://climate.nasa.gov/blog/2578/a-vast-melting-desert/
Good read.
14
Consequences / Re: Effects on Arctic Wildlife
« on: April 21, 2017, 02:27:38 PM »
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/davis-strait-polar-bears-ice-decline-1.4077164
Sea ice changes affecting polar bear populations in Davis Strait.
Polar bear scientist at the U of Alberta, who has been studying bears for 35 years, says the ice-free period off Labrador is increasing by 18 days per decade, because of ice melting earlier and forming later in the fall. This affects bear access to seals, their preferred food.
As well, "One of the big findings was the reproductive rates were down. And that means that over the longer term the population is certainly not growing, and may be declining."
Sea ice changes affecting polar bear populations in Davis Strait.
Polar bear scientist at the U of Alberta, who has been studying bears for 35 years, says the ice-free period off Labrador is increasing by 18 days per decade, because of ice melting earlier and forming later in the fall. This affects bear access to seals, their preferred food.
As well, "One of the big findings was the reproductive rates were down. And that means that over the longer term the population is certainly not growing, and may be declining."
15
Permafrost / Re: This is not good (methane clathrates)
« on: April 20, 2017, 12:24:55 AM »
A Newf would say, "Woof woof."
A Newf is a dog.
I am a Newfoundlander.
A Newf is a dog.
I am a Newfoundlander.
16
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 20, 2017, 12:22:47 AM »
This is Derrick Bath's vessel, Polar Adventure, battling sea ice at Twillingate, a couple hundred km north of that spectacular berg in Ferryland. Sea ice is a a major problem for Newfoundland fishermen, coming as it does during lobster and crab season.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ice-compensation-fisherman-twillingate-1.4076069
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ice-compensation-fisherman-twillingate-1.4076069
17
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 19, 2017, 09:01:02 PM »
This is not far from me. Beautiful, yes, but they keep the water and the air so cold and can ruin the summer. Ice also can play havoc with fishing gear. Tourists love it because they don't have to live here. Those of us who have grown up with ice are praying for a solid month of sou-westerlies to take the bergs and the pack well out to sea, and good riddance!
FYI
Latitude of Ferryland is 47° 2' N.
So, more southerly than Paris, France.
FYI
Latitude of Ferryland is 47° 2' N.
So, more southerly than Paris, France.
18
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: April 15, 2017, 12:34:11 AM »
That big chunk that broke off between April 11 and 12 has now made its way into the strait. Would someone reckon the distance and speed, please?
19
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: Petermann Gletscher / Petermann Fjord / North West Greenland
« on: April 15, 2017, 12:23:07 AM »
Hunter, thanks for the amazing photos and the link re the Kee Bird---very informative.
20
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 15, 2017, 12:19:14 AM »
"Petermann glacier's east wall near the terminus of the floating ice shelf, with blowing snow visible coming from the plateau to the east."
Photo NASA/John Sonntag. Posted today by NASA Operation Icebridge.
Photo NASA/John Sonntag. Posted today by NASA Operation Icebridge.
21
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: April 13, 2017, 12:39:18 PM »
Big chunk out of the Lincoln Sea "boot" arch on April 12.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-04-12/9-N82.26727-W60.25128
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-04-12/9-N82.26727-W60.25128
22
Arctic sea ice / Re: Operation IceBridge - Arctic Spring 2017
« on: April 13, 2017, 12:37:54 PM »
Oren, I've been looking for that too.
And a big chunk has just broken loose (April 12).
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-04-12/9-N82.26727-W60.25128
And a big chunk has just broken loose (April 12).
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-04-12/9-N82.26727-W60.25128
23
Arctic sea ice / Re: Operation IceBridge - Arctic Spring 2017
« on: April 12, 2017, 02:47:13 PM »
Yesterday: "This morning IceBridge is preparing for the CryoVex-2 sea ice survey, the last mission of the campaign that will coordinate with other partners. Today's flight underflies a pass by the CryoSat-2 satellite, and conditions permitting, this afternoon a CryoVex team based out of Alert will hopefully deploy by Twin Otter and survey in situ the southernmost sites on the CryoSat-2 line. Prior to the beginning of surveying the CryoSat-2 line from its northern end, we will transit over Ellesmere Island and survey three quarters of the northernmost transect of North Canada Basin, a high-priority sea ice flight."
24
Arctic sea ice / Re: Operation IceBridge - Arctic Spring 2017
« on: April 12, 2017, 02:43:05 PM »
They're posting amazing photos almost daily on FB and probably on Twitter and Snapchat, too, for all I know. Today they're flying "Northwest Coastal C."
25
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: April 07, 2017, 02:59:43 PM »Re. Newfoundland...
....The bays will be a different matter, and much slower to clear, likely.
All we need are a few days of sustained SW winds, and the northern bays will clear out pretty nicely. But the extent of the pack in general has taken a beating from the two recent storms, compared to say, extent in the last week of March. The Canadian Ice Service today is showing much less pack to the east, but bergy water right around to the Burin Peninsula and well down through the Strait of Belle Isle.
26
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: Jakobshavn Isbræ / Ilulissat Isfjord / West Greenland
« on: April 07, 2017, 01:51:53 PM »
crandles, thank you for the explanation about flushing. I too had been wondering about that sudden outflow.
Btw, that general Disko area seems to have a lot more ice around in all the channels and bays than last year at this time, when it was all open water up there along the Greenland side of Baffin Bay.
Btw, that general Disko area seems to have a lot more ice around in all the channels and bays than last year at this time, when it was all open water up there along the Greenland side of Baffin Bay.
27
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: April 06, 2017, 11:52:49 AM »Not sure where this fits, but 450 icebergs suddenly appearing around the Grand Banks makes melting season real.
https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2017/04/05/unusually-large-swarm-of-icebergs-drifts-into-shipping-lanes
Yes, there was a huge icefield NE and E of Newfoundland, extending out from the coast many hundreds of km, until about last Thursday (Mar 30). That's when the first of two massive back-to-back nor-easters tore into the pack with its accompanying bergs and scattered it far and wide across NW Atlantic shipping lanes.
Check out the Canadian Ice Service charts for recent analysis of NE Atlantic coastal/eastern Canadian Arctic ice.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/06/huge-fleet-icebergs-north-atlantic-shipping-lanes
28
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 05, 2017, 01:39:46 PM »
Another one from NASA Operation Icebridge.
"Clouds (near the center of the photo) over the sea ice in Nares Strait as seen from a window of NASA’s P3." Posted on their FB page April 4.
"Clouds (near the center of the photo) over the sea ice in Nares Strait as seen from a window of NASA’s P3." Posted on their FB page April 4.
29
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: April 04, 2017, 03:00:46 PM »
Beauty shot: muskoxen, north of Zachariae glacier, Greenland on April 3.
Photo by NASA Operation Icebridge/Jeremy Harbeck.
Lots more on their FB page.
Photo by NASA Operation Icebridge/Jeremy Harbeck.
Lots more on their FB page.
30
Glaciers / Re: Canadian Glaciers
« on: April 01, 2017, 12:03:32 AM »
Interview with the author of the Irvine study:
https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/03/09/canadas-melting-ice-caps-are-a-big-driver-of-rising-sea-levels
https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2017/03/09/canadas-melting-ice-caps-are-a-big-driver-of-rising-sea-levels
31
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: March 31, 2017, 03:35:52 PM »
Driven by that huge nor-easter, pack ice is moving into the harbour of St John's, Newfoundland today. This is very rare---I remember it happening in 1974, and maybe again in the 1980s.
https://twitter.com/PaulKinsman/status/847800660171120642
https://twitter.com/PaulKinsman/status/847800660171120642
32
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: March 30, 2017, 11:41:49 PM »
Big low ripping up the ice at the moment. The Northwest Atlantic iceberg field is moving down into Titanic territory. Sea ice now extends hundreds of km east of Newfoundland, putting offshore oil-drilling operations into caution mode.
33
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: March 30, 2017, 09:02:17 PM »
UPDATE on that Newfoundland bear, with a photo that will probably go viral:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/praying-polar-bear-picture-wesleyville-1.4047414
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/praying-polar-bear-picture-wesleyville-1.4047414
34
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 30, 2017, 06:39:31 PM »
Today (March 29) on Explorer, you can click back to 2014 in clear weather. Compared to previous years, the ice is almost all rubble, and any smooth ice is riven with cracks. There is no sign yet of the development of a strong arch in the strait, like 2014-2016, apart from the jackboot in the Lincoln.
35
Arctic sea ice / Re: What's new in the Arctic ?
« on: March 30, 2017, 06:24:10 PM »
Not sure where to put this, parking it here----"increased sea ice and iceberg activity since last weekend" is threatening oil drilling operations off the east coast of Newfoundland. Precautionary measures are being taken to prevent damage to production and storage facilities.
This is not unusual. Ice is an expected seasonal hazard for oil production in this area.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/searose-iceberg-1.4047254
This is not unusual. Ice is an expected seasonal hazard for oil production in this area.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/searose-iceberg-1.4047254
36
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: March 30, 2017, 01:51:28 PM »
It's spring on the NE coast of Newfoundland, which means the polar bears that follow the whelping herds of harp and hood seals out on the pack ice are on the move. Some come ashore and often wander around remote communities, at great peril to local residents----and, sometimes, sadly, to themselves. This one was spotted in Wesleyville (latitude N49.15) on March 29, which is near the southernmost limit of their range. The RCMP and wildlife officials have issued warnings and are monitoring.
PHOTO by local resident Dana Blackmore.
PHOTO by local resident Dana Blackmore.
37
Policy and solutions / Re: Geoengineering, another rush for money?
« on: March 28, 2017, 02:20:48 AM »
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2017/mar/27/trump-presidency-opens-door-to-planet-hacking-geoengineer-experiments
"Under the Trump administration, enthusiasm appears to be growing for the controversial technology of solar geo-engineering, which aims to spray sulphate particles into the atmosphere to reflect the sun’s radiation back to space and decrease the temperature of Earth.......
David Schnare, an architect of Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition, has lobbied the US government and testified to Senate in favour of federal support for geoengineering.
He has called for a multi-phase plan to fund research and conduct real-world testing within 18 months, deploy massive stratospheric spraying three years after, and continue spraying for a century, a duration geoengineers believe would be necessary to dial back the planet’s temperature......"
"Under the Trump administration, enthusiasm appears to be growing for the controversial technology of solar geo-engineering, which aims to spray sulphate particles into the atmosphere to reflect the sun’s radiation back to space and decrease the temperature of Earth.......
David Schnare, an architect of Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition, has lobbied the US government and testified to Senate in favour of federal support for geoengineering.
He has called for a multi-phase plan to fund research and conduct real-world testing within 18 months, deploy massive stratospheric spraying three years after, and continue spraying for a century, a duration geoengineers believe would be necessary to dial back the planet’s temperature......"
38
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 24, 2017, 10:39:39 PM »
Cool image, oren. Thanks so much.
Here is an interesting piece on wind and currents in Nares, by a student of Andreas Muenchow.
https://icyseas.org/2012/07/27/currents_winds_nares_strait_ice_arches/
Here is an interesting piece on wind and currents in Nares, by a student of Andreas Muenchow.
https://icyseas.org/2012/07/27/currents_winds_nares_strait_ice_arches/
39
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: March 24, 2017, 10:34:22 PM »Surface ice in Nares is moving through. I don't know how to animate---toggle the past couple of clear days to watch it. I'm sure someone here can work out the speed.
Notice that the heel, toe, and sole of the bigfoot boot "arch" at the Lincoln Sea end have frozen over again, for the time being.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-23/7-N79.9726-W66.63132
Is it normal for that much of the Northwest passage to have such thin ice? With that large crack, it almost looks as if it is open for business.
I was told that Nares usually opens in July. If you compare this same period from previous years, you can see how different the whole strait looks this year. The famous arch is key---will it hold or not? And will other arches be able to form with the ice in that state?
40
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 24, 2017, 01:48:24 PM »
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-23/7-N79.9726-W66.63132
oren, refreeze has happened, as you indicated---the heel, toe, and sole of the bigfoot boot in the Lincoln Sea appear to have frozen over again, for now. That arch seems to be key to keeping the older sea ice in place since there's not much fast ice farther down the strait for arch-formation. It's all on the move---the ice all down the strait appears to be cracking and moving. I assume this is current-driven?
oren, refreeze has happened, as you indicated---the heel, toe, and sole of the bigfoot boot in the Lincoln Sea appear to have frozen over again, for now. That arch seems to be key to keeping the older sea ice in place since there's not much fast ice farther down the strait for arch-formation. It's all on the move---the ice all down the strait appears to be cracking and moving. I assume this is current-driven?
41
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: March 24, 2017, 01:39:48 PM »
Surface ice in Nares is moving through. I don't know how to animate---toggle the past couple of clear days to watch it. I'm sure someone here can work out the speed.
Notice that the heel, toe, and sole of the bigfoot boot "arch" at the Lincoln Sea end have frozen over again, for the time being.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-23/7-N79.9726-W66.63132
Notice that the heel, toe, and sole of the bigfoot boot "arch" at the Lincoln Sea end have frozen over again, for the time being.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-23/7-N79.9726-W66.63132
42
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: Greenland ice sheet retreat
« on: March 23, 2017, 08:29:32 PM »
Canadian Ice Service, Ice Glossary:
Drift/pack ice
Term used in a wide sense to include any area of ice, other than fast ice, no matter what form it takes or how it is disposed. When concentrations are high, i.e., 7/10 or more, the term pack ice is normally used. When concentrations are 6/10 or less the term drift ice is normally used.
Ice field
Area of floating ice, consisting of any size of floes and greater than 10 km across.
Lots more here:
https://www.ec.gc.ca/glaces-ice/default.asp?lang=En&n=501D72C1-1
Drift/pack ice
Term used in a wide sense to include any area of ice, other than fast ice, no matter what form it takes or how it is disposed. When concentrations are high, i.e., 7/10 or more, the term pack ice is normally used. When concentrations are 6/10 or less the term drift ice is normally used.
Ice field
Area of floating ice, consisting of any size of floes and greater than 10 km across.
Lots more here:
https://www.ec.gc.ca/glaces-ice/default.asp?lang=En&n=501D72C1-1
43
Glaciers / Re: Barnes Ice Cap / Penney Ice Cap
« on: March 22, 2017, 03:23:30 PM »
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060051765
Report on a study on the Barnes icecap by Gifford Miller at UColorado Boulder. Photos.
Quoting from article:
"Global warming is causing significant melting throughout the region and will claim the last remnants of a massive ice sheet that once covered all of North America and that remained stable for 2,000 years, according to findings published yesterday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The Barnes Ice Cap, which is about the size of Delaware and is located on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, is likely to disappear even if humanity curtails its combustion of fossil fuels at levels not currently expected, even under the most conservative estimations.
"And while the ice cap's disappearance may only cause sea levels to rise a few millimeters, its loss symbolizes a more dire threat of warming to the region, said Gifford Miller, a glacial geologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-author of the study. It shows large portions of the Greenland ice sheet are also at risk of disappearing, which would raise sea levels across the globe."
Thanks to ColoradoBob for the link.
Report on a study on the Barnes icecap by Gifford Miller at UColorado Boulder. Photos.
Quoting from article:
"Global warming is causing significant melting throughout the region and will claim the last remnants of a massive ice sheet that once covered all of North America and that remained stable for 2,000 years, according to findings published yesterday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The Barnes Ice Cap, which is about the size of Delaware and is located on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, is likely to disappear even if humanity curtails its combustion of fossil fuels at levels not currently expected, even under the most conservative estimations.
"And while the ice cap's disappearance may only cause sea levels to rise a few millimeters, its loss symbolizes a more dire threat of warming to the region, said Gifford Miller, a glacial geologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-author of the study. It shows large portions of the Greenland ice sheet are also at risk of disappearing, which would raise sea levels across the globe."
Thanks to ColoradoBob for the link.
44
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 21, 2017, 01:35:20 PM »
oren, yes, that giant jackboot is still holding in the Lincoln Sea. As for the strait freezing and thawing, agreed, to be expected this time of year, and I think evident in the image today as well, a thin ice skim between thicker floes. We are now at 12 hours daylight and increasing daily, so if Nares loses ice cover/albedo, I suppose that might make a tiny difference in the surface temp, which could knock on in ice-melt farther north in the passage?
Thanks for the image sources, will have a look.
Thanks for the image sources, will have a look.
45
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 21, 2017, 12:53:12 PM »
Some cloud cover on this 20 Mar 2017 image but it looks like there is even more open water in the Petermann outlet area than a couple of days ago.
This is only my second melt year and I don't use anything but Explorer, so maybe the other image sources and more experienced eyes have better info, please? but it looks to me like Nares ice is on the move. If so---well, it's a bit early, isn't it?
The link shows the entire strait. Zoom in for detail.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-20/8-N80.53307-W68.45532
This is only my second melt year and I don't use anything but Explorer, so maybe the other image sources and more experienced eyes have better info, please? but it looks to me like Nares ice is on the move. If so---well, it's a bit early, isn't it?
The link shows the entire strait. Zoom in for detail.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-20/8-N80.53307-W68.45532
46
Arctic sea ice / Re: The 2017 melting season
« on: March 21, 2017, 12:36:36 AM »
New post today from Robertscribbler: "Frailest Ever Winter Sea Ice Facing a Cruel, Cruel Summer."
https://robertscribbler.com/2017/03/20/frailest-ever-winter-sea-ice-facing-a-cruel-cruel-summer/
https://robertscribbler.com/2017/03/20/frailest-ever-winter-sea-ice-facing-a-cruel-cruel-summer/
47
Greenland and Arctic Circle / Re: The Nares Strait thread
« on: March 20, 2017, 07:30:33 PM »
The whole strait looks loosened up to me, like it's getting ready to move. Heading south through the strait from our giant foot----to the area just above the "knee", roughly at the mouth of Petermann, there is open water.
As usual, toggle the years to compare.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-18/8-N81.71718-W64.88272
As usual, toggle the years to compare.
http://www.arctic.io/explorer/4Xa5A/2017-03-18/8-N81.71718-W64.88272
48
Permafrost / Re: Shelf Temperature Profiles
« on: March 19, 2017, 07:57:55 PM »
LOL Terry I'm too old to lose any sleep over this stuff.
Apparently there are submarine pingos all over the Beaufort as well. Incidentally, I found this on an old forum discussion about an ice-free Arctic:
"In 1980 the CCGS John A MacDonald struck the top of an uncharted undersea mound off of Eureka. The heavy icebreaker was creased and holed." Possibly a pingo? I suppose they wouldn't pose much of a hazard to shipping with modern navigational equipment. Unless one went kaboom just as the ship was passing over it.
For interest, here is a short paper on tsunamis in Atlantic Canada.
https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/research/atlantic-tsunamis
Apparently there are submarine pingos all over the Beaufort as well. Incidentally, I found this on an old forum discussion about an ice-free Arctic:
"In 1980 the CCGS John A MacDonald struck the top of an uncharted undersea mound off of Eureka. The heavy icebreaker was creased and holed." Possibly a pingo? I suppose they wouldn't pose much of a hazard to shipping with modern navigational equipment. Unless one went kaboom just as the ship was passing over it.
For interest, here is a short paper on tsunamis in Atlantic Canada.
https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/research/atlantic-tsunamis
49
Arctic sea ice / Re: DMI 80N+ graph, large increase at start of year 2000
« on: March 19, 2017, 07:36:43 PM »
Thanks, Jim. It's back online now.
50
Arctic sea ice / Re: DMI 80N+ graph, large increase at start of year 2000
« on: March 19, 2017, 03:38:20 PM »
I'm getting 404 Not Found for the DMI website today. 'Sup? Maintenance, perhaps?