Data show the Bering Sea had more ice than on average

Jun 7, 2012 11:49 GMT  ·  By
Arctic ice extents for May 2012, compared to the 1797-2000 average (pink outline)
   Arctic ice extents for May 2012, compared to the 1797-2000 average (pink outline)

Throughout late April, ice extents in the Arctic continuously increased, to a point where researchers thought the average extent for this month will be reached. That did not happen, and a lot of ice melted in May, until way below the usual average for this month.

Measurements conducted by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) indicate the ices covered around 13.13 million square kilometers (5.07 million square miles) of the Arctic this May, a level some 480,000 square kilometers (185,000 square miles) lower than the 1979-2000 average.

According to scientists, this level was similar to the ones recorded in 2008, 2009 and 2010, but higher than those recorded in 2011. Last year was an extremely unfavorable one for Arctic ices, experts reveal. The lowest ice extent since satellite record keeping began was recorded in 2004.

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that the amount of ice covering the Bering Sea – between Asia and North America, in the northern Pacific Ocean – was higher than the average for this time of the year. A similar value was observed in 2011 as well.

“The anomalously heavy ice conditions were countered by unusually low extents in the Barents and Kara Seas, resulting in Arctic-wide ice conditions that remained below normal. By the end of the month, open water areas had begun to form along some parts of Arctic Ocean coast,” NSIDC reports.

“While the ice extent for May is not especially low this year, there is little correlation between the extent of the ice cover in May and that at the end of the melt season in September,” a press release from the organization goes on to reveal.

Last month, the Arctic lost 1.62 million square kilometers (625,000 square miles) of ice, around 180,000 sq. km. (69,500 sq. miles) more than the 1979-2000 average. This was partially caused by higher overall temperatures in the Arctic.

“Air temperatures for May were higher than usual over the central Arctic Ocean and the Canadian Archipelago. Over the Bering Sea, Hudson Bay, and parts of the East Greenland and Norwegian seas, temperatures were slightly below average,” the NSIDC statement says.

“Including the year 2012, the linear rate of decline for May ice extent over the satellite record is 2.3% per decade,” experts at the organization conclude.