Unusual amount of sea ice in the Fram Strait
Vilde Ottersen Jagland,
vildeoj@met.no and Kristin Rosnes Holte,
kristinh@met.no 21.11.2023
- The situation we are observing in the Fram Strait is unusual, and must be monitored carefully, says William Copeland, researcher from the ice service at the Meteorological Institute.
The Forward Strait is the stretch of sea between Greenland and Svalbard. It is the world's northernmost sea area with ice conditions throughout the year. The strait connects the Arctic Ocean with the rest of the world's oceans.
From March this year to the end of June, the amount of sea ice has been much higher than normal in the Fram Strait. It then stabilised, before increasing markedly in late September and early October, according to analyzes from the Meteorological Institute.
William J. Copeland, Researcher at the Ice Service, Meteorological Institute. Photo: MET
- The increase in sea ice is mainly due to the fact that the weather over Greenland has been stable and cold with steady northerly winds over the Fram Strait. This has provided favorable conditions for the formation of new ice. In addition, sea ice north of Canada has been broken up and transported there after a summer with prolonged high temperatures, well above average, says Copeland.
Variations are normal
He explains that the sea ice normally increases in extent at this time of year. It is common for large variations from year to year, but what the ice service is observing now is unusual.
It is difficult to predict how the sea ice in the Framstrad will develop during the winter season.
- It only takes a week of easterly winds to take us back to normal or below normal sea ice extent.
The sea chart shows with white arrows the movement of ice into the Framstrait which corresponds to the dominant wind direction in recent months.
Thinner ice takes over
In the Arctic, we have three main types of sea ice: Multi-year, second-year and first-year ice. Multi-year ice is more stable and compact than second- and first-year ice, explains Penelope Wagner, also a researcher at the ice service:
- Multi-year ice has survived at least two melting seasons. It is usually thicker and more resistant to melting than first-year ice and helps maintain the Arctic's climate regulation and animal habitat. Multi-year ice also reflects more sunlight (albedo) than first-year sea ice, and has an important influence on climate change in the Arctic.
Better monitoring prevents ship incidents
The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else in the world. It is well documented that increasingly higher temperatures in the Arctic have led to a decline in Arctic perennial ice.
North of Canada, the situation is serious because the thin, drifting first-year ice is about to take over.
Penelope Wagner, researcher at the ice service, Meteorological Institute. Photo: MET
- We see that the stability of the multi-year and second-year ice is changing, especially north of the Canadian part of the Arctic. The first-year ice becomes more dominant and replaces the other ice types, says Wagner.
She explains that the ice service's monitoring area is used by many different users, from recreational vessels to ice-breaking vessels.
- In addition, the communities on Svalbard and Greenland need accurate ice information to make decisions about safety.
Increased ship traffic in the Arctic
Wagner says that the mixing of large multi-year ice floes in larger areas of first-year ice poses a greater risk to ships that may not be equipped to travel through sea ice, depending on the vessel's polar class and the experience of the navigator.
- Ice in this area can develop quickly, move quickly with wind and waves and can easily form ridges that pose challenges for ships, she says.
An example of this was in autumn 2021 when many cargo ships were caught in the ice on the northern sea route
- Ship traffic has increased in the Arctic. It is then important that we strengthen and improve how we monitor in these areas, so that we can provide reliable sea ice reports and prevent incidents, concludes William Copeland.
The graph from the ice service shows the sea ice in the area around Framstredet, with maximum and minimum from 1967 to the present day
The ice service
The ice service is part of the Weather Forecasting Division at the Meteorological Institute. The main responsibility is to monitor the Atlantic part of Artkis.
You can read more about the ice service at Cryo.met.no
It is freezing over a large part of France this Sunday morning. We note -7°C in Aurillac, -6°C in Rodez, -5°C in Guéret, -4°C in Albi & Angers, -3°C in Dijon & Le Mans, -2°C in Toulouse and - 1°C in La Rochelle.
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