Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook Archive

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Near St. Lawrence Island

South of the island, there is a polynya that extends 18 to 32 nautical miles (nm) south that has begun to fill in with new (0-4 inches thick) ice, then there is an area 20 to 25 nm wide of close to very close pack ice that includes primarily big to vast floes up to 28 inches thick. To the west and north of Gambell and Savoonga, there is open water mainly west of Lietnik. East of the...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

South of the island, there is a polynya that extends 3 to 12 nm south that has begun to fill in with new (0 to 4 inches thick) and young (4 to12 inches thick) ice, then there is an area 8 to 14 nm wide of very close pack ice that includes primarily big to vast floes up to 28 inches thick. South of this area is an area of close pack ice up to 20 nm wide with strips of ice. To the west...

State of the Ice at Season’s Start

Contributed by Matthew Druckenmiller (National Snow and Ice Data Center and SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team) & Hajo Eicken (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

The sea ice cover in the Bering and southern Chukchi seas got off to a remarkably late start in fall 2017. The Chukchi Sea was not ice-covered (> 95% ice concentration) until December 31, which was the latest ever observed since the satellite record...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

The polynya on the north side of the island has filled in with very close pack ice (thicker young and first year thin) as northwesterly winds have pushed the pack against the coast. The very close pack ice is mainly big and vast floes. On the west side of the island the ice is new and young ice, but close pack ice. The south side of the island is mainly new and young ice as well, with...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

A polynya has formed with open pack ice remaining on the north side of St. Lawrence Island due to the recent persistent southerly winds. On the south side of the island there is consolidated ice with very close pack ice to the south. On the west side of the island is close pack ice that extends up to five nautical miles offshore.

Nome...

This final outlook of 2017 focuses only on the remaining sea ice in the Wales to Shishmaref area

Wales to Shishmaref

The ice along the coast continues to deteriorate and is no longer shorefast. Very close pack ice extends 1 to 3 nautical miles offshore. Beyond that is open water and sea ice free conditions, with the exception of a small area of open pack ice that extends up to 15 nautical miles offshore near Shishmaref.

Forecast Discussion

Ice Forecast

Near the Wales to...

SIWO 2017 SEASON ALMOST OVER - There is very little ice left in the Bering Strait region, so this may be our last report of the spring.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice remains shorefast along the northeast coast of St. Lawrence Island up to 2 nautical miles from the coast. Close pack ice extends an additional 1 to 3 nautical miles from the shorefast ice with very open pack ice along the eastern coast of St. Lawrence Island as ice has been dragged by winds and ocean currents. Shorefast ice remains within Nayvaghpak (Niyokpok) Lagoon....

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice remains shorefast along the northeast coast of St. Lawrence Island up to 2 nautical miles from the coast. Very close pack ice extends from 2 to 7 nm beyond the shorefast ice. Shorefast ice is gone from the northwest coast of the island, although shorefast ice remains within Nayvaghpak (Niyokpok) Lagoon. The remainder of the waters surrounding the island are sea...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice remains shorefast along the northeast coast of St. Lawrence Island up to 2 nautical miles from the coast. Very close pack ice extends from 1 to 6 nm beyond the shorefast ice. Shorefast ice is mostly gone from the northwest coast of the island, with very open pack ice extending up to 1 nm offshore. The east side of the island has very open pack ice extending up to...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice remains shorefast along the north coast of St. Lawrence Island out 1-2 miles on the northwest side of the island and to up to 2 miles from the coast on the northeast side. Beyond the shorefast ice on the northwest side of the island is close pack ice up to 1 mile. Very close pack ice extends on the northeast side of the island away from 2 to 7 miles out from the...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice remains shorefast along the north coast of St. Lawrence Island out 2 miles on the northwest side of the island and to up to 3 miles from the coast on the northeast side. Beyond the shorefast ice on the northwest side of the island is open water. Very close pack ice extends on the northeast side of the island away from 2 to 7 miles out from the shorefast ice. The...

NEW FOR 2017: Click the name of each community below to view more frequently updated and detailed information from the National Weather Service.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice is shorefast along the north coast of St. Lawrence Island 2 miles out on the northwest side of the island and up to 3 miles from the coast on the northeast side. Very close pack ice extends on the northeast side of the island away from 2 to 10 miles out from the shorefast ice. The southeast side of the island has up to 1 mile of shorefast ice. Beyond the shorefast...

NEW FOR 2017: Click the name of each community below to view more frequently updated and detailed information from the National Weather Service.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice is shorefast along the north coast of St. Lawrence Island out 2 miles on the northwest side of the island and to up to 3 miles from the coast on the northeast side. Very close pack ice extends on the northeast side of the island away from 2 to 7 miles out from the shorefast ice. The southeast side of the island has up to 2 miles of shorefast ice. Beyond the...

NEW FOR 2017: Click the name of each community below to view more frequently updated and detailed information from the National Weather Service.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice is shorefast along the north and east coasts of St. Lawrence Island out 2 to 7 miles from the coast. Shorefast ice on the northwest side of the island has diminished to zero to 2 miles as several big to vast floes have broken off of the shorefast ice. Most of the shorefast ice has diminished on the south side of the island with open water extending up to 65 miles...

NEW FOR 2017: Click the name of each community below to view more frequently updated and detailed information from the National Weather Service.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice is shorefast along the north, east, and southeast coasts of St. Lawrence Island out 2 to 7 miles from the coast. A polynya continues to expand on the south side of the island now up to 115 miles offshore. While there is close pack ice of new and young ice forming on the eastern side of the polynya, the western side of the polynya west of Silook Camp is very open...

State of the Ice at Season’s Start

Contributed by Matthew Druckenmiller (National Snow and Ice Data Center and SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team) & Hajo Eicken (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Arctic-wide, this year’s winter maximum sea ice extent observed on March 7 was the lowest in the satellite record (the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported this on March 22, and will offer a more detailed report in April 2017). In fact, the last lowest three winter maximum extents have all occurred in the...

Near St. Lawrence Island

The only sea ice remaining near St. Lawrence Island lies near Tomname Lagoon along the northeast coast of the island. The remainder of the island is surrounded by sea ice free waters at this time.

Wales to Shishmaref

Sea ice in the vicinity of Wales to Shishmaref continued to retreat very rapidly this past week. At this time, lagoon areas from Wales up to Espenberg have melted out to leave only open water conditions. Beyond the lagoon areas from Mugisitokiwik to Espenberg lies a very narrow belt of close pack ice that has consolidated near the coast...

Near St. Lawrence Island

Very minimal sea ice remains around St. Lawrence Island at this time. Open water to very open pack ice lies along the northern and eastern coastline of the island and all remaining sea ice is rapidly deteriorating. A belt of rapidly deteriorating sea ice currently stretches from the northeast corner of the island to the north to the eastern half of the Bering Strait.

Wales to Shishmaref

Sea Ice in the vicinity of Wales to Shishmaref retreated very rapidly this past week. At this time lagoon areas from Ikpek up to Espenberg have melted out to leave...

Near St. Lawrence Island

Ice-free waters currently stretch from near Gambell around the western and southern coastlines of St. Lawrence Island to near Kialegak Point. Very minimal coastal sea ice remains in isolated areas along the northern coast of the island. Very open to open pack ice lies just offshore from the northern coastline, and the remaining first year sea ice floes are rapidly melting. A belt of ice currently stretches from east of Little Diomede Island to offshore from the east coast of St. Lawrence Island and is drifting due to wind and current forcing. This belt of ice is...

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice along the northern coastline of St. Lawrence Island continued to break apart and destabilize during the past week. Shorefast ice remains along the northern coastline extending offshore up to 5 nautical miles. West of Savoonga, beyond the shorefast ice of the northern coast lies a polynya with open water to very open pack ice consisting of first year ice floes. Beyond the shorefast ice of the northern coast, east of Savoonga, there is close pack ice. Open water currently lies off the coast near Gambell with open pack ice drifting with the winds and ocean...

Near St. Lawrence Island

Sea ice along the northern coastline of St. Lawrence Island has changed rapidly in the past week. Shorefast ice remains along the northern coastline extending offshore up to 5 nm. Beyond the shorefast ice of the northern coast lies a polynya with very open pack ice consisting of first year ice floes. Beyond the polynya lies a region of open to close pack ice. Open water currently lies off the coast near Gambell with open pack ice drifting with the winds and ocean currents further offshore. Belts of ice are being pulled down past the east coast of the island with...

Near St. Lawrence Island

Shorefast ice remains secure along the northern coastline of St. Lawrence Island with consolidated first year sea ice stretching approximately 20 to 35 nm to the north of the coastline from Gambell to Savoonga. Beyond this ice area lies mainly new and young sea ice with isolated first year ice floes continuing to drift to the south through the Bering Strait. Along the west coast of the island, first year sea ice floes are drifting to the southwest past the coastline. Off the east coast of the island lies a larger belt of first year pack ice also drifting to the...

State of the Ice at Season’s Start

Contributed by Matthew Druckenmiller, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team

Conditions in the Bering Sea region this year are generally consistent with much of the Arctic. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported the 2016 maximum winter extent of Arctic sea ice to be the lowest in the satellite record (1979-present), noting that unusually warm...

Near St. Lawrence Island

The only sea ice left around St. Lawrence Island remains in the lagoons. This sea ice is rotting in place. The island is surrounded by sea ice-free conditions at this time.

Wales to Shishmaref

The only sea ice remaining is near Mugisitokiwik, as well as in the southern end of Lopp Lagoon. The ice along the coast near Mugisitokiwik extends out 1 nautical mile or less from the coast.

5 to 10 Day Forecast

Weather System/Wind Synopsis

Low pressure will be over the mainland of Alaska on Friday, 5 June, producing northerly winds of 20 to 25 kt...