Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook Archive

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)

As we entered 2019, few thought that the Bering Sea would see another winter like last year. But, this assessment did not hold for long. Between mid-January through early-March, the Bering Sea experienced an...

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Forecast Synopsis for 14–18 March 2019

Synopsis. Low pressure will remain over the eastern to northern Bering Sea through Monday with high pressure remaining over eastern Russia.

Near St. Lawrence Island

Compact to consolidated ice pack extends from the north coast of St. Lawrence Island generally to the Bering Strait. Close ice pack with medium to big floes extends from both the east and west...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

The waters surrounding St. Lawrence Island are sea ice free.

Nome

The waters around Nome are sea ice free. The 2018 SIWO season has ended for this area as of 10 May.

Wales to Shishmaref

There is a small area of ice approximately 11 nm...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

The waters surrounding St. Lawrence Island are sea ice free. There is some remaining open water--with ice concentration less than 1/10--approximately 40 to 50 nm northeast of Gambell.

Nome

The waters around Nome are sea ice free. The 2018 SIWO season has ended for this area as of 10 May.

[Wales](http://www.weather.gov/afg/SIWO...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

The waters surrounding St. Lawrence Island are sea ice free. There is some remaining close pack ice ranging from brash ice to big floes approximately 40 to 50 nm north of Gambell.

Nome

The waters around Nome are sea ice free. The 2018 SIWO season has ended for this area as of 10 May.

Wales...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

The only sea ice remaining around St. Lawrence Island is near Naskak Camp and along the coast near Camp Iveetok. Otherwise, waters to 30 nm away from the island are sea ice free. This will be the last update for the 2018 SIWO season for this area.

Nome

The only sea ice remaining near Nome is very open pack ice with brash ice 20 nm west...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Big to giant floes of open pack ice are present off the north-central coast of St. Lawrence Island, extending approximately 1 to 20 nm offshore between Savoonga and Ataakas Camp. The waters surrounding the rest of the island are sea ice free.

Nome

Giant floes of very close pack ice extend 1 to 1.5 nm offshore near Nome. Beyond that is 1...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

There is a giant flow of close pack ice off the northwest coast of the island, extending from 3 nm east of Gambell to 17nm east of Gambell. There is also open pack ice extending up to 5 nm offshore from the north-central coast of the island, beginning approximately 12 nm east of Savoonga. Otherwise, open water surrounds the remainder of St. Lawrence Island.

[Nome](http://www...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

There is very open ice pack to the north and east of Savoonga with medium to vast floes. Otherwise open water surrounds St. Lawrence Island.

Nome

Shorefast ice extends up to 2 nm offshore from Nome, then 1 to 2 nm of very open pack ice with small to big floes. Beyond the very open pack ice is widespread very close pack ice with vast to...

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Near St. Lawrence Island

Across the eastern end of the island there is an area that is 45 miles wide, stretching from Nome, to 50 miles south of the island. This contains very close pack ice that includes primarily big to vast floes up to 28 inches thick. West of Lietnik (including Gambell and Savoonga), there is open water mainly west of Lietnik. North and east of Lietnik is widespread close to very close...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...