Germany’s Alfred Wegener Shows Artic Sea
Winter sea ice in the Arctic was stable over the past 20 years…has even recovered somewhat.
Hat-tip: Klimanachrichten
Arctic sea ice extent as recorded by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany, looks at the situation in January 2024. [emphasis, links added]
Despite the record temperatures reported, the ice in the Arctic has recovered somewhat.
The slight recovery trend since the Arctic minimum was reached is continuing at the beginning of 2024, with the sea ice extent at the beginning of the year below the average value for the years 1981-2010, but in the lower range of the extreme values (minimum / maximum) of this international climate normal period (Figure 1).
If we look at the new reference period 1991 – 2020 introduced by the World Meteorological Organization in 2021, January 2024 is roughly in line with the mean value of this period (see interactive graphic).
The average Arctic sea ice extent in January was 13.99 million square kilometers, around 400,000 square kilometers greater than the ice cover in January over the last 20 years (Figure 2).
During the month, the extent increased by approximately 29,000 square kilometers per day, which was slower than the average increase from 1981 to 2010.”
Among highest in the past 20 years
The above chart indeed shows a stable trend over the past two decades. According to the AWI:
This year’s maximum sea ice extent most likely occurred on February 27 at 14.94 million square kilometers. The monthly average ice extent in February was 14.65 million square kilometers.”
That makes it higher than 15 of the past 20 years.
Compared to the long-term average for the years 2003 – 2014, it is noticeable that the sea ice cover in the northern Barents Sea is lower, but the Greenland Sea and the northern Baltic Sea in the Gulf of Bothnia and the coastal zones of the Barents Sea have more extensive sea ice areas. This indicates lower and longer-lasting cold periods in these regions.”
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Tom O
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Since ice melts faster at its edges than in the center, I wonder what the impact of running more and more, larger and larger, icebreakers through the edges of the ice sheet would be? do you suppose the large increase in the use of icebreakers may actually have impacted the shrinkage of the ice cover?
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Tom and Pierre.
I suggest that both of go to (https://follow.mosaic-expedition.org) to actually see, not imagine, the ice of the Arctic Ocean during nearly on year. While this isn’t the present year, neither is the image of a localized btoken up pressure ridge. While I have been and am critical of this project the temperatures and and the local weather reported are not imagined.
Have a gapped day
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