Ice choking the "open" Northwest Passage - in midsummer!

Astute Bloggers ^ | 8/8/2009 | John Ray

[Signalman]

But top U.S. institute still prophesies 'extreme' melting

Despite predictions from a top U.S. polar institute that the Arctic Ocean's overall ice cover is headed for another "extreme" meltdown by mid-September, the Environment Canada agency monitoring our northern waters says an unusual combination of factors is making navigation more difficult in the Northwest Passage this year after two straight summers of virtually clear sailing.

In both the wider, deep-water northern corridor and the narrower, shallower southern branches of the passage, the Canadian Ice Service says pockets of more extensive winter freezing and concentrations of thicker, older ice at several key "choke points" are complicating ship travel.

The fabled trans-Arctic sea route, zealously sought by European explorers in centuries past as a shortcut to Asia, is increasingly seen in today's era of rapidly retreating sea ice as a potential highway to resources and Arctic tourist destinations.

A record number of vessels passed through Canada's Arctic islands last year, and experts have been predicting a steady rise in ship traffic in both the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route, which connects Europe to eastern Asia along Russia's Arctic coast.

In the central part of the passage where the northern and southern routes merge amid narrowings around Prince of Wales Island, the CIS has observed "greater than normal concentrations of thicker, multi-year ice. This is the result of an increased flow of older ice from the Beaufort Sea into the Canadian Arctic archipelago last year."

The result, the agency said, is that ice conditions "are delaying any potential navigability of the Northwest Passage this year. This is opposite to what Environment Canada observed in the last week of July in 2007 and 2008."

While Canada's trans-Arctic sea route remains clogged with ice, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center is predicting another near-record meltdown by the end of this year's summer thaw. Scientists believe the retreat is being driven by several factors, including rising global temperatures associated with human-induced climate change, and the associated breakup and loss of thicker, multi-year year ice that is being replaced only seasonally by a thin layer of winter ice that disappears quickly each summer.

[neodad]

It’s going to be cold this winter. And how about the Atlantic hurricane season?

[redhead]

"While Canada's trans-Arctic sea route remains clogged with ice, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center is predicting another near-record meltdown by the end of this year's summer thaw. Scientists believe the retreat is being driven by several factors, including rising global temperatures associated with human-induced climate change, and the associated breakup and loss of thicker, multi-year year ice that is being replaced only seasonally by a thin layer of winter ice that disappears quickly each summer."

What the hell planet is this bunch of NINNYHAMMERS on, for crying out loud?? "Rising global temperatures??" Helloo???

[wolfcreek]

Alantic storms will be minimal this season.

[Smokin' Joe]

Temperatures in North Dakota this summer have generally been 10-20 degrees below normal, and Dickinson had snow in June. I'm expecting another fairly hard winter. Last winter was not so much bitter cold as heavy snowfall, breaking some all time records in the western part of the state.

While I understand marine currents may have a greater effect on the area of the NW Passage, I'm not expecting any substantial signs of the warming we keep hearing about.

Maybe just the threat of 'cap and trade' has made Mother Nature cool it.

[LibFreeOrDie]

[ratzoe]

Damn global warming.