This is a time-lapse of the web cam located North of Barrow, AK at NARL, overlooking landfast ice in the Arctic Ocean (Chukchi Sea). One photo per day, spanning the entire annual cycle including sea ice drift and growth (October), and decay (May/June), and break-up (July). Note that young ice formed on October 16 sheltered by ice drifting in day before. A good part of the landfast ice broke out around March 19; while it is common for ice to break out before summer, usually it does not happen this close to the shore as there tend to be grounded pressure ridges to protect it. Melt ponds formed around May 21, 2002, which is comparatively early at this location; they refreeze and get covered by snow later in May. Time-lapse spans September 2001 until August 2002. The camera is located atop the UIC Science Center at NARRL, 5 miles NE of Barrow, facing approximately NW. See http://www.gi.alaska.edu/snowice/sea-lake-ice/barrow_webcam.html for today's sea ice webcam image in downtown Barrow.
Damn the ice went away fully for only a month! It must be a bleak existence!
fantomfosco 4 months ago
at this latitude in sweden, we have real summers. must be because of the gulf stream.
mastermuppet71 6 months ago
This looks much more normal for Arctic climate that the 2006-2007 situation. The latter must just have been particularily warm in the Arctic. Conclusion? Climate warming sucks for this region, which we all already know :(
NotOnlySelfLover 8 months ago