National Snow and Ice Data Center
Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
Posted on 11/07/2011 10:54:35 AM PST by Signalman
Arctic sea ice extent increased rapidly through October, as is typical this time of year. Large areas of open water were still present in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas at the end of the month. The open water contributed to unusually warm conditions along the coast of Siberia and in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
Overview of conditions Average ice extent for October 2011 was 7.10 million square kilometers (2.74 million square miles), 2.19 million square kilometers (846,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average. This was 330,000 square kilometers (127,000 square miles) above the average for October 2007, the lowest extent in the satellite record for that month. By the end of October, ice extent remained below the 1979 to 2000 average in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and in the Barents and Kara seas. Extent was near average in the East Greenland Sea. New ice growth has closed both the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route.
Conditions in context Arctic sea ice extent increased rapidly through October. Ice extent during October 2011 increased at an average rate of 114,900 square kilometers (44,360 square miles) per day, about 40% faster than the average growth rate for October 1979 to 2000. On October 30, Arctic sea ice extent was 8.41 million square kilometers (3.25 million square miles), 226,000 square kilometers (87,300 square miles) more than the ice extent on October 30, 2007, the lowest extent on that date in the satellite record.
During the month of October, the freeze-up that begins in September kicks into high gear. The rate of freeze-up depends on several factors including the atmospheric conditions and the amount of heat in the ocean that was accumulated during the summer. However, each decade, the October extent has started from a lower and lower point, with the record low extent during the 1980s (1984) substantially higher than the record low extent during the 1990s (1999), which in turn is substantially higher than the record low extent during the 2000s (2007).
Graphs at link.
Ih Great!
Does this mean sea levels are falling and my beach front vacation home is going to have a new neighbor between me and the ocean?
Must be all that latent ocean heat just waiting to pounce at some time in the future. It’s found a really good hiding spot. Damn you global warming!
Dang! And just when I was planning on planting those palm trees in my front yard.
The bad news is, it’s the “wrong kind” of ice.
Ping.
Has Tipper been down there?
The Missouri River flooded this summer due to snow melt that would not quit. The next ice age will start in a September when that last years snow that did not melt in time, adds to the snow pack.
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
Global Warming on Free Republic
Thanks for the ping.
Is this God’s way of giving Al Gore the finger?
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