Sea Ice

Description: This project includes observations related to sea ice change, or unusual sea ice conditions. Unusual animal observations in relation to sea ice changes are also of interest.

Location: Coastal Alaska, Arctic Canada, Greenland
Start Date: June 15, 2012
Project Lead: Hajo Eicken, Ph.D., Olivia Lee Ph.D Funding No additional funding.

Observer Guidance: Observations of sea ice and other forms of coastal ice, hazards or changes in the ice cover and its use by people and animals are of interest. For more detailed observations of freeze-up and the seasonal ice cycle we have developed some additional guidance as protocols on snow and ice observations.

Monitoring Opportunities: For members interested in sea ice research or monitoring activities, the Seasonal Ice Zone Observing Network has a substantial database of past and current community observations on sea ice, weather and ice-related animal observations. The Arctic Alaska Observatory and Knowledge Hub will be continuing community observations on sea ice changes along with ice-related marine mammal observations and sea-ice related measurements. Community sea ice and animal observations during the spring hunting season (April through June) is also shared in the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook which includes weekly outlooks on ice and weather from the National Weather Service.

Project Updates and Analysis:

Resources:

Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis

Morbidity and Mortality of Falls Through Ice in Alaska

National Weather Service Alaska Sea Ice Program (ASIP)

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Sea Ice Group

In the Press:

Arctic Newswire (2016-04-07), by Yereth Rosen - Arctic sea ice isn't only sparser; it's younger and thinner too - "Arctic sea ice, which already hit a record low for winter extent this year, is also younger and thinner now than at almost any time since the satellite record was begun in the late 1970s." ADN

The Washington Post (2016-11-03), by Brady Dennis - Here's how much of the Arctic you're personally responsible for melting - "A paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Dirk Notz and a colleague detail the complex set of calculations that allowed them to estimate how much Arctic sea ice melts for every metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Their answer? About 3 square meters." ADN