Date:

Assessment of Current Ice Conditions Relevant to Distribution and Access of Walrus

St. Lawrence Island, Wales, and Shishmaref

The Northern Bering Sea is virtually sea ice free. There is a patch of floes about 2-3 miles in diameter 160 miles southwest of St. Lawrence Island that is the last ice to come out of the Gulf of Anadyr. This ice patch is drifting slowly northeast and melting. There is still about 4 to 6 tenths concentration of shorefast ice east of Shishmaref. It appears some of this ice is grounded in place.

5-10 Day Forecast

A weak high pressure over the northern Bering Sea is slowly giving way to a deepening low moving into the southwest. This low will reach the central Bering Sea Sunday, 26 June, and continue to drift over St. Lawrence Island Monday, 27 June. A new high pressure ridge will form over the Bering Sea on Wednesday, 29 June. This high pressure ridge will remain in place through Saturday, 2 July, when a low pressure system will move off Russia eastward over the northern Bering Sea. Over the next 5-10 days seas should generally remain less than 5 feet.



Arrows show wind direction and wind speed in knots

St. Lawrence Island wind direction and speed
Map of 10-day outlook of wind conditions
Bering Strait wind direction and speed


Remote Sensing Images

Bering Strait