This contrasts with the pattern observed in the first half of the month when temperatures were below average north of Greenland, above average in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, and considerably above average in the Kara and Barents Seas.Ĭonditions shifted with the development of prominent areas of low sea level pressure over northern Canada and the Central Arctic Ocean the latter feature is typical for this time of year (Figure 2b). Patches of warm conditions persisted in the Kara and Barents Seas of 1 to 3 degrees Celsius (2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) above average, though cool conditions were nearby. Yellows and reds indicate high air pressure blues and purples indicate low pressure.Ĭredit: NSIDC courtesy NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Laboratoryĭuring the second half of August, air temperatures at the 925 millibar level (about 2,500 feet above the surface) averaged 1 to 5 degrees Celsius (2 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit) below average in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, whereas above-average air temperatures prevailed in northern Greenland at 1 to 6 degrees Celsius (2 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit) (Figure 2a).
This plot shows average sea level pressure in the Arctic in millibars from August 15 to 31, 2023. However, some ice still clogs M’Clure Strait and ice in the Beaufort Sea hinders easy access. The southern Northwest Passage, known as Amundsen’s route, remains nearly ice free, and the northern deepwater route between M’Clure Strait and Lancaster Sound has less ice than the previous record low for this time of year set in 2011. While the ice edge in the Laptev Sea was near average, large areas of low ice concentration and open water were present. In the East Greenland Sea the ice was also well north of its usual position, in large part because of reduced ice export out of Fram Strait. Nevertheless, the daily ice loss rate of 72,100 square kilometers (27,800 square miles) per day was faster than the 1981 to 2010 average of 57,200 square kilometers (22,100 square miles) per day.Īt month’s end, the ice edge remained considerably farther north than average in the Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, while in the Kara and Barents Seas the ice edge was near its typical location, albeit farther north in a few scattered regions. As of the end of August, 2.24 million square kilometers (860,000 square miles) of sea ice was lost in the Arctic.Īs is typical during the latter half of August, the pace of ice loss slowed (Figure 1b). Extent was 1.63 million square kilometers (629,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 reference period and 850,000 square kilometers (328,000 square miles) above the previous record low for the month set in 2012. Sea Ice Index data.Ĭredit: National Snow and Ice Data CenterĪugust Arctic sea ice extent averaged 5.57 million square kilometers (2.15 million square miles), or the eighth lowest in the 45-year satellite record (Figure 1a). The gray areas around the median line show the interquartile and interdecile ranges of the data. 2023 is shown in blue, 2022 in green, 2021 in orange, 2020 in brown, 2019 in magenta, and 2012 in dashed brown. The graph above shows Arctic sea ice extent as of September 4, 2023, along with daily ice extent data for four previous years and the record low year.
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