Arctic sea ice variation in the Northwest Passage in 1979‒2017 and its response to surface thermodynamics factors

Abstract. Sea ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) play a key role in the navigation of the Northwest Passage (NWP). Based on the observed and simulated sea ice concentration and thickness data, we studied the temporal and spatial characteristics of sea ice from 1979 to 2017 in the NWP of the CAA and evaluated the sea ice conditions along the southern and northern routes of the NWP. Against the background of the rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice, the 39-year observed sea ice concentration of the NWP exhibited a relatively large decreasing trend in summer and fall, while heavy sea ice conditions were maintained in winter and spring, with a slight increasing trend. Consistent with Arctic sea ice, the sea ice extent in the NWP displayed a decreasing trend of −2.34 %/10 a, with its minimum occurring in 2012. The sea ice thickness in most subregions of the NWP showed a decreasing trend, with the exception of Lancaster Sound. The decreasing trend of sea ice thickness in the NWP was estimated to −0.16 m/10 a. Based on the sea ice concentration and thickness, however, the sea ice conditions were heavier along the northern route than the southern route. This study considered both of these routes, and we selected and evaluated more specific pathways. The correlation results between the sea ice and atmospheric and oceanic thermodynamic factors in the NWP suggested that the thermodynamic factors had a greater impact on sea ice in the summer and fall, and the variations of sea ice concentration were more closely correlated with the thermodynamic factors than sea ice thickness. The sea surface temperature (SST) had a higher correlation with sea ice concentration than surface air temperature (SAT), while SAT exhibited a higher correlation with sea ice thickness than SST. The residual amount of sea ice concentration and thickness in the fall, associated with the fall SAT and SST, contributed to the formation of sea ice in the following winter and spring.

Download Full-text

The Northwest Passage opens for bowhead whales

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2011.0731 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 270-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽

Kristin L. Laidre ◽

Lori T. Quakenbush ◽

John J. Citta

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

High Arctic ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Canadian High Arctic ◽

West Greenland ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

Bowhead Whales ◽

The Pacific ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

Two Populations

The loss of Arctic sea ice is predicted to open up the Northwest Passage, shortening shipping routes and facilitating the exchange of marine organisms between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Here, we present the first observations of distribution overlap of bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) from the two oceans in the Northwest Passage, demonstrating this route is already connecting whales from two populations that have been assumed to be separated by sea ice. Previous satellite tracking has demonstrated that bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska enter the ice-infested channels of the Canadian High Arctic during summer. In August 2010, two bowhead whales from West Greenland and Alaska entered the Northwest Passage from opposite directions and spent approximately 10 days in the same area, documenting overlap between the two populations.

Download Full-text

Uncertainty in climate model projections of Arctic sea ice decline: An evaluation relevant to polar bears

10.3133/70174204 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 1-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Eric DeWeaver

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Climate Model ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Polar Bears ◽

Sea Ice Decline ◽

Arctic Sea

Download Full-text

Prévoir les variations saisonnières de la glace de mer arctique et leurs impacts sur le climat

La Météorologie ◽

10.37053/lameteorologie-2020-0089 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 024

Author(s):

Rym Msadek ◽

Gilles Garric ◽

Sara Fleury ◽

Florent Garnier ◽

Lauriane Batté ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Arctic Region ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

The Arctic ◽

Recent Effort ◽

Sea Ice Thickness ◽

Arctic Sea ◽

Ice Conditions ◽

Upper Level

L'Arctique est la région du globe qui s'est réchauffée le plus vite au cours des trente dernières années, avec une augmentation de la température de surface environ deux fois plus rapide que pour la moyenne globale. Le déclin de la banquise arctique observé depuis le début de l'ère satellitaire et attribué principalement à l'augmentation de la concentration des gaz à effet de serre aurait joué un rôle important dans cette amplification des températures au pôle. Cette fonte importante des glaces arctiques, qui devrait s'accélérer dans les décennies à venir, pourrait modifier les vents en haute altitude et potentiellement avoir un impact sur le climat des moyennes latitudes. L'étendue de la banquise arctique varie considérablement d'une saison à l'autre, d'une année à l'autre, d'une décennie à l'autre. Améliorer notre capacité à prévoir ces variations nécessite de comprendre, observer et modéliser les interactions entre la banquise et les autres composantes du système Terre, telles que l'océan, l'atmosphère ou la biosphère, à différentes échelles de temps. La réalisation de prévisions saisonnières de la banquise arctique est très récente comparée aux prévisions du temps ou aux prévisions saisonnières de paramètres météorologiques (température, précipitation). Les résultats ayant émergé au cours des dix dernières années mettent en évidence l'importance des observations de l'épaisseur de la glace de mer pour prévoir l'évolution de la banquise estivale plusieurs mois à l'avance. Surface temperatures over the Arctic region have been increasing twice as fast as global mean temperatures, a phenomenon known as arctic amplification. One main contributor to this polar warming is the large decline of Arctic sea ice observed since the beginning of satellite observations, which has been attributed to the increase of greenhouse gases. The acceleration of Arctic sea ice loss that is projected for the coming decades could modify the upper level atmospheric circulation yielding climate impacts up to the mid-latitudes. There is considerable variability in the spatial extent of ice cover on seasonal, interannual and decadal time scales. Better understanding, observing and modelling the interactions between sea ice and the other components of the climate system is key for improved predictions of Arctic sea ice in the future. Running operational-like seasonal predictions of Arctic sea ice is a quite recent effort compared to weather predictions or seasonal predictions of atmospheric fields like temperature or precipitation. Recent results stress the importance of sea ice thickness observations to improve seasonal predictions of Arctic sea ice conditions during summer.

Download Full-text