{"id":254,"date":"2023-03-15T06:04:40","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T06:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/2023\/03\/15\/facts-about-the-arctic-in-january-2023\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T00:58:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T22:58:40","slug":"facts-about-the-arctic-in-january-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/2023\/03\/15\/facts-about-the-arctic-in-january-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts About the Arctic in January 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

At the beginning of the New Year all the central regions of the Arctic are now refrozen apart from a small area of the Kara Sea:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Most Arctic sea ice metrics are near the middle of their respective ranges over the last decade. By way of example, here is a graph of Arctic Freezing Degree Days based on the Danish Meteorological Institute\u2019s temperature data<\/a> for the area north of 80 degrees latitude:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Rutgers Snow Lab\u2019s northern hemisphere snow cover anomaly<\/a> for December 2022 is slightly negative:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Here too are the high resolution AWI AMSR2 area and extent graphs:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

The latest AWI CryoSat-2\/SMOS volume graph tells a similar story:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Although overall volume is in the middle of the pack, the associated thickness map:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

and the\u00a0thickness anomaly map<\/a>\u00a0from the Finnish Meteorological Institute reveal an unusual distribution of thicker ice:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

A considerable volume of ice currently situated between Svalbard and North East Greenland seems destined to exit the Central Arctic Basin via the Fram Strait over the coming months.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[Edit \u2013 January 24th]<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a somewhat belated mid month update, here\u2019s the PIOMAS daily Arctic sea ice volume graph:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

together with the PIOMAS thickness map on January 15th:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

For comparison purposes here\u2019s the AWI CryoSat-2\/SMOS thickness map using the same scale:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Note the change of scale from the beginning of the month CS2\/SMOS map at the top.<\/p>\n

Here too is Lars Kaleschke\u2019s animation<\/a> of recent Arctic sea ice concentration, with the width of leads exaggerated to reveal ice motion:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Click to animate (10 Mb!)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Evidently sea ice export from the so called \u201clast ice area<\/a>\u201d is continuing via the Nares Strait and in particular via the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard.<\/p>\n

Although not on the same scale as the cyclone<\/a> at around the same time last year, surface pressure of a storm near Svalbard bottomed out at 965 hPa yesterday:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

It will be interesting to see what effect the storm has on the ice on the Atlantic periphery over the next few days.<\/p>\n

Further news is now available on the\u00a0February 2023 open thread<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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