“Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose.” (Kris Kristofferson)

In May, Arctic ice extent declined as usual with the notable exception of Bering Sea, now almost ice free.  Bering still has some ice to lose, but at 23k km2 it is only 5% of the ice there March 17 at annual Bering maximum, just two months ago.  It is unusual since the Bering ice is only 10% of the 11 year average for this date.  Nearby Chukchi Sea is showing open water, somewhat ahead of schedule.  Okhotsk also in the Pacific is melting and now below average for this date.

Elsewhere things are mostly typical.   Russian and Canadian basins are frozen with high extents and Barents is now matching average.

The graph below shows how the Arctic extent has faired in May compared to the 11 year average with and without the Pacific basins of Bering and Okhotsk.  2018 (brown line lacks B&O) is tracking the orange line with some divergence lately.

The graph below shows May 2018 compared to average and some years of interest.

Note that 2017 tracks above the 11-year average.  2018 is tracking 2007, which will match average by end of May.  The table below shows ice extents by regions comparing 2018 with 11-year average (2007 to 2017 inclusive) and 2007.

Region	2018141	Day 141  Average	2018-Ave.	2007141	2018-2007
(0) Northern_Hemisphere	11963940	12493152	-529212	12114407	-150467
(1) Beaufort_Sea	1046328	1025787	20541	1063324	-16996
(2) Chukchi_Sea	790287	916151	-125864	936237	-145949
(3) East_Siberian_Sea	1076816	1074527	2289	1067808	9008
(4) Laptev_Sea	893794	866784	27009	793551	100243
(5) Kara_Sea	934453	881645	52808	885543	48909
(6) Barents_Sea	401369	396306	5063	327568	73801
(7) Greenland_Sea	441882	606737	-164856	576791	-134909
(8) Baffin_Bay_Gulf_of_St._Lawrence	1125388	1062146	63242	968062	157325
(9) Canadian_Archipelago	839235	833381	5854	837658	1577
(10) Hudson_Bay	1153411	1158944	-5533	1097706	55705
(11) Central_Arctic	3132441	3231803	-99361	3235644	-103203
(12) Bering_Sea	23001	268930	-245929	213547	-190547
(13) Baltic_Sea	788	2344	-1556	2146	-1358
(14) Sea_of_Okhotsk	103188	165353	-62165	106753	-3565

As indicated Bering supplies almost half of the deficit to average, along with Chukchi and Okhotsk deficits.  Lack of ice in Greenland Sea may signify a reduced flow of drift ice out of the Arctic through Fram Strait.