The daily ice extent minimums are behind us, and now the story is how fast will be this year’s recovery of ice compared to other years.

First the daily situation at the end of September:

September 30 day 273 results from MASIE. 2015 has overcome 2/3 of 2014 ice extent lead.

Since the annual minimum on day 262, 2015 recovery rate was 60k m2 per day compared to 41k per day in 2014.

2015 ice extent now trails 2014 by 6.1%, which is about 337k km2 difference.

Extent in BCE region is building ice now at 81% of last year. Largest recent increases were in Laptev 43k, Kara 33k, Beaufort 15k, CAA 23k, and most importantly, the Central Arctic is now 220k above its minimum 29 days ago.

 

The graph shows that a gap opened when 2015 ice dropped at the time of an Arctic cyclone late August.  The differential of almost 1M km2 has now been cut to 337k km2. and closing. 2015 ice extent was lower than 5M km2 for only 28 days.

2015 Recap:

The 30 days of September 2015 are in the books, so we now have the melt season conclusion beyond the daily minimums.

https://nsidc.org/data/masie/masie_plots.html

For most of the season, 2015 Arctic sea ice extent was tracking 2014. In fact the July average extent was slightly higher than 2014. Then weather intervened in the last week of August. A large and strong cyclone centered over Chukchi Sea began breaking up ice in the BCE Region and affecting CAA (Canadian Archipelago) and the Central Arctic.  In addition, most of the summer the Arctic Oscillation (AO) was in negative phase, meaning fewer clouds, more direct insolation and ice melting.  More discussion of these two factors is at the end of this post.

The effects of this storm are seen in the rapid increase in water extent ( 482k km2 in one week) so that August 31 2015 had less ice than did 2014 at minimum September 19. Water extent continued to grow, and then stabilized once the storm abated and the AO went from negative to neutral.  Now the ice is growing beyond the daily minimum.

Comparing MASIE and NOAA Ice Extents.

Month	2015	2015	2015	2014	2014	2014
Ave.	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA
Feb				15.032	14.498	0.534
March				15.170	14.758	0.413
April	13.650	13.954	-0.304	14.318	14.088	0.230
May	12.646	12.485	0.161	12.916	12.701	0.215
June	10.841	10.889	-0.049	11.324	11.033	0.292
July	8.713	8.411	0.302	8.482	8.108	0.374
August	5.961	5.658	0.303	6.353	6.078	0.275
Sept	4.677	4.595	0.082	5.364	5.220	0.144
Oct				7.697	7.232	0.464

The table shows July 2015 was above 2014 but late August weather caused a drop in monthly averages.  The August average shows ice extent dropped ~2.7M km2 from July, compared to a 2014 loss of ~2.0M. That difference persisted until the minimum was reached. NOAA typically reports a lower extent than MASIE, a difference that averaged ~300k km2.  Then in one week MASIE dropped while NOAA plateaued, and until recently NOAA September extents were quite close to MASIE, some days showing a higher number.

With the September daily ice starting out lower than 2014 the monthly average ended up smaller.  The SIPN median forecasts for September (dated July and August) were 4.8M km2 and NOAA came in a 4.6M.

In any case, I am not alarmed over open water in the Arctic. Steadily increasing and above average September ice extents signify the coming of the next ice age, a genuine threat to human life and prosperity.  Fortunately, that is not the indication this year.

Current and Recent Weather in the Arctic

In addition to the storm, the negative AO has been conducive to accelerating ice melting by increased insolation.

September 30 Arctic Oscillation Forecast from AER:

Currently, the AO is neutral but is predicted in the short term to trend positive and peak at moderate to strong positive values this weekend (Figure 2). The positive AO trend is reflective of the below normal geopotential heights dominating the Arctic basin while positive geopotential heights dominate the mid-latitudes, especially the North Atlantic sector.   The AO value for this past July and August was the second lowest observed since 1950.

 

“The positive trend in the AO and the setting sun may have brought an early end to the Arctic sea ice melt season but not before sea ice extent achieved its fourth lowest value since observations began.  It is likely that the extremely low AO values observed in July and August are reflective of atmospheric conditions (sunny and warm) that were conducive to rapid sea ice melt.”

https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation

The Alaska Dispatch News reported August 27 on the storm effects at Barrow, Alaska:

“The service has issued a coastal flood warning for Barrow until Friday morning, along with a high surf advisory for the western part of the North Slope and a gale warning for much of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Seas up to 14 feet were forecast for Thursday in the Chukchi. . .Thursday’s high waves and flooding are products of a large storm that’s being felt as far as Southcentral Alaska, where high winds are forecast, Metzger said. “It’s a pretty big low-pressure system that’s over the Arctic Ocean,” he said. ”

https://www.adn.com/article/20150827/high-winds-causing-big-waves-flooding-barrow

This storm is reminiscent of the 2012 event that resulted in the lowest ice, greatest water extent this century. The high winds, waves and swells have several effects: Gales push ice floes, opening water between them and pushing them toward warmer waters; Ice pieces are churned and fractured increasing the melt rate; Wave action can flood ice packs or can cause compacting, further reducing extent.

Update October 4

Fooling Around

Dosbat has commented on my Arctic Ice posts: http://dosbat.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-fool-by-any-other-name.html

He sees clearly and correctly that I am “playing the fool.” That is, I am not taking the conventional view of Arctic Sea Ice. We call someone “foolish” for not saying and seeing things the same as the rest of us.

It’s a long, respected tradition. Monarchs valued highly their fools because they would speak to the king of things contrary to what everyone, including the king believed to be true. King Canute himself played the fool to show his court the truth. And it was an innocent child who broke the silence over a king’s nakedness.

It’s a risky business, because you could be right or wrong.  Who’s fooling whom?

More foolery coming soon.

And from the “Open Mind”

Tamino (Grant Foster) recently posted a hit piece against my Arctic Ice Rebound article.
https://tamino.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/epidemic-of-denial/

I went there, to the  “Open Mind”  blog to clarify some misunderstandings, but for my few comments I was ridiculed and insulted.  So I disengaged.

Some commentators thought I should be ashamed of my last name.  So let me introduce them to my extended family:

That’s right, we had a starring role in the Oscar-winning movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Meet the Lutzes:

 

They take very seriously insults against the family name, and as the movie shows, they can be quite determined and extreme in their retaliations.  Just saying.

But Seriously, What is the Problem?

Grant Foster and friends are committed to a warmer future and expect Arctic Ice extent to decline.  They are unhappy with me pointing out the lack of decline recently. So my post is off-message, and they are attacking the messenger.  Same old, same old.

Foster was considerate to write a longish post against my work, and he included a number of graphs that confirm one of my main points: not much is happening with the Arctic ice cap, despite the seasonal fluctuations.  Tamino found an issue as an excuse to dismiss my entire analysis (and me and my blog along with it). I had included an annual average for 2015 which covers only the first 3/4 of this year.  I mentioned this figure would not be known for certain until year end.  Foster cleverly figured out that in the days (and weeks) ahead the figure will go down.  But come November and December it will rise again.  Not even Tamino knows what it will be until December 31.  It depends on the future rate of seasonal ice recovery.

My graph included only historical observations from MASIE, not projections or estimations.  The proper scientific thing would be to wait for the year to end.  But climate science, as we all know, is not only science, it is a movement and a media blitz ahead of a major (last ditch?) conference in Paris.  The story of Arctic ice will be written and sold to the public long before the year’s observations are complete.

Another Way to Get Perspective

I prefer a calendar year frame for Arctic Ice not only for ease of understanding, but also because the break point in annual cycle is neutral, occurring mid-way between minimum and maximum.  In order to avoid using a provisional value, but still incorporate all the data, I have done an analysis taking 12 month averages from the end of September backwards; in effect combining the last quarter of the previous year with 3/4 of the current year, and so forth for preceding years.  For the first year, 2006, I present the average as reported; that is, rather than estimating the last quarter of 2005, I have included the actual 2006 data.

The graph shows the annual averages Oct 1 through Sept. 30.  On this basis, the variability of ice extent is reduced, and  2014 has the highest extent, with 2015 in second place.  The decadal  trend is still an increasing one, though at a lower rate than when the calendar year is used.  The basic findings are the same.  This analysis substitutes the 2014 last quarter recovery rate for the actual  next 3 months yet to be observed.  Since the 2015 maximum was unusually low, the actual next quarter results may go higher.  We shall have to wait and see.

Note: I use the term “trend” in its dictionary definition: “the general direction of changes or developments” (Cambridge Dictionary).  In any time series, there is an overall trend or direction, and within are usually periods identifiable by change points where short-term trends deviate from the overall.  Evidence is mounting that 2007 may be such a change point.

Some say that trend can only be mentioned with the meaning of expected values, and the dataset is not long enough to say this surely. This is the same gambit made when surface temperatures stopped rising.  Whether it is the temperature or the ice plateau, the advice is the same: “You should ignore what is happening before your eyes because it is not real, statistically speaking, unless it continues for another decade or so.  Meanwhile let’s wrap up the emissions treaty.”

Summary

Those hoping for an Arctic ice collapse this year are disappointed.  Everything was in their favor: a low March maximum, the Blob melting out Bering Sea early, a negative AO (Arctic Oscillation) with higher insolation most of the summer, and a major cyclone last August when ice edges are most fragile. Despite all that working against the ice, the extent was lower than 5M km2 ( 2014 minimum) for a period of only 28 days. Furthermore, the 12 month averages show extent slightly rising over the last 10 years, with 2015 second only to 2014.

Note on datasets

MASIE is not the only dataset to show this lull in Arctic ice decline. It is also obvious in Foster’s final graph.  Some were upset that I used the MASIE data, despite NSIDC cautions against it.  For the record, the NSIDC Background cites as support a study by Partington et al (2003).  Reading that study, one finds that the authors preferred the MASIE data and said this:
“This analysis has been based on ice chart data rather than the more commonly analyzed passive microwave derived ice concentrations. Differences between the NIC ice chart sea ice record and the passive microwave sea ice record are highly significant despite the fact that the NIC charts are semi-dependent on the passive microwave data, and it is worth noting these differences. . .In summer, the difference between the two sources of data rises to a maximum of 23% peaking in early August, equivalent to ice coverage the size of Greenland.” (my bold)  For clarity: the ice chart data show higher extents than passive microwave data.

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1058&context=usdeptcommercepub

In any case, NSIDC’s last word was this:  “In June 2014, we decided to make the MASIE product available back to 2006. This was done in response to user requests, and because the IMS product output, upon which MASIE is based, appeared to be reasonably consistent.”  And thus, the data appeared this September.

Conclusion

Arctic ice extent is no longer declining and a slight increase was observed in the last decade.  People have a right to know about this as a context to evaluate claims that are coming.

Nothing alarming is happening to Arctic ice.

Update October 14, 2014 at the end of the post.

MASIE Proves Yearly Arctic Ice Recovering

You will be hearing a lot about 2015 having the fourth lowest minimum Arctic ice extent ever recorded.

Here is what they are not telling you:

MASIE has very helpfully provided their records for the last ten years.  Since stormy weather can affect both maximum and minimum ice extents, emphasis on March and September averages can be misleading. From a climate change perspective, a better metric is the average ice extent over the entire year. By that measure we gain a realistic perspective on the last ten years of Arctic ice fluctuation.

While Arctic ice varies a lot seasonally, the graph shows that it is not that variable annually during this decade. Fluctuating about +/- 4%, there was a slightly increasing trend, particularly in the last five years.  Here are the ice extents in M km2:

Year	Annual  Average	March Average	Sept Average	Sept Minimum	March Max
2006	10.667	14.260	5.831	5.641	14.663
2007	10.414	14.543	4.298	3.987	14.907
2008	10.995	15.372	4.427	4.223	15.662
2009	10.825	15.005	5.091	4.871	15.326
2010	10.732	15.221	4.997	4.717	15.397
2011	10.564	14.832	4.511	4.303	15.110
2012	10.688	15.533	3.633	3.369	15.822
2013	11.119	15.230	5.083	4.677	15.505
2014	11.130	15.133	5.368	5.066	15.523
2015	11.263	14.625	4.564	4.442	14.910

The value for 2015 is for the record so far; the final number will be known at year end.  As for minimum extents, 2015 September average will likely be the fifth lowest in the last ten years, so ranked in the middle of the years in this period. For it to be the fourth lowest ever would require ignoring earlier history, especially the 1930’s and the age of the Vikings.

MASIE dataset is here:
https://nsidc.org/data/masie/

Background on MASIE and NOAA:
https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-measuring-arctic-ice-but-were-afraid-to-ask/

And Arctic Ice is Rebounding As We Speak

Now let’s put this year’s minimum in perspective.  2014 daily ice extent minimum was ~5M km2 on day 262.  2015 extent went below 5M on day 240 and has now regained back to 5M on day 268.  So the reduced ice extent this year lasted for exactly 28 days.  Why is this fact not mentioned in articles talking about the 4th lowest extent recorded?  How can a 28-day event (produced by a major storm) be called “climate change” when it is so temporary and natural?

For the current 2015 ice watch report see:

https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/arctic-ice-recovery-race/

Update October 14, 2015

There was some criticism of this article following publication.  I addressed the issues in subsequent posts:

Flap Over Arctic Ice Rebound

Ice House of Mirrors

Arctic Ice Made Simple

Update September 26:  2015 ice extent goes over 5M km2.

The daily ice extent minimums are behind us, and now the story is how fast is this year’s recovery of ice compared to last year.

In the MASIE estimates, the daily minimums were quite close in time: 2014 day 262 and 2015 day 260. NOAA showed 2015 minimum extent on day 251 with gains sufficient for NOAA to nearly synchronize with MASIE extent by day 262.

From last year’s MASIE records we know that ice recovered in 2014 at a rate of 41k km2 per day to the end of September, for a total addition of ice extent of 451k km2. NOAA showed a comparable gain in 2014 ice over the same period: 39k daily for a total gain of 429k km2.

As of day 268, Sept. 25, ice extent is recovering much faster this year than last, about twice the rate, and MASIE is again showing higher extent than NOAA.

First the daily situation:

September 25 day 268 results from MASIE. 2015 is back over 5M km2. Both years gain back considerable ice. 

While 2014 gained 105k of ice, 2015 gained 64k recovering back up to 34% of the spring maximum..

2015 ice extent now trails 2014 by 6.4%, which is about 344k km2 difference.

Extent in BCE region is building ice now at 75% of last year, with Chukchi and East Siberian seas adding 47k. Most seas increased ice and most importantly, the Central Arctic is now 193k above its minimum 24 days ago.

The graph shows that a gap opened when 2015 ice dropped at the time of an Arctic cyclone late August.  The differential of almost 1M km2 has now been cut to 350k km2. and closing. 2015 ice extent was lower than 5M km2 for only 27 days.

2015 Recap:

The first 25 days of September 2015 are in the books, so with 5 days to go this is an outlook on the melt season conclusion beyond the daily minimums.

For most of the season, 2015 Arctic sea ice extent was tracking 2014. In fact the July average extent was slightly higher than 2014. Then weather intervened in the last week of August. A large and strong cyclone centered over Chukchi Sea began breaking up ice in the BCE Region and affecting CAA (Canadian Archipelago) and the Central Arctic.  In addition, most of the summer the Arctic Oscillation (AO) was in negative phase, meaning fewer clouds, more direct insolation and ice melting.  More discussion of these two factors is at the end of this post.

The effects of this storm are seen in the rapid increase in water extent ( 482k km2 in one week) so that August 31 2015 had less ice than did 2014 at minimum September 19. Water extent continued to grow, and then stabilized once the storm abated and the AO went from negative to neutral.  Now the ice is growing beyond the daily minimum.

Comparing MASIE and NOAA Ice Extents.

Month	2015	2015	2015	2014	2014	2014
Ave.	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA
Feb				15.032	14.498	0.534
March				15.170	14.758	0.413
April	13.650	13.954	-0.304	14.318	14.088	0.230
May	12.646	12.485	0.161	12.916	12.701	0.215
June	10.841	10.889	-0.049	11.324	11.033	0.292
July	8.713	8.411	0.302	8.482	8.108	0.374
August	5.961	5.658	0.303	6.353	6.078	0.275
Sept	4.596	4.521	0.075	5.364	5.220	0.144
Oct				7.697	7.232	0.464

The table shows July 2015 was above 2014 but late August weather caused a drop in monthly averages.  The August average shows ice extent dropped ~2.7M km2 from July, compared to a 2014 loss of ~2.0M. That difference persisted until the minimum was reached. NOAA typically reports a lower extent than MASIE, a difference that averaged ~300k km2.  Then in one week MASIE dropped while NOAA plateaued, and until recently NOAA September extents were quite close to MASIE, some days showing a higher number.

With the September daily ice starting out lower than 2014 the monthly average will end up smaller.  The September first 25 days average is shown, a figure that should rise and end the month over 4.6M km2. It is now evident the minimum has occurred, and the recovery is under way.

In any case, I am not alarmed over open water in the Arctic. Steadily increasing and above average September ice extents signify the coming of the next ice age, a genuine threat to human life and prosperity.  Fortunately, that is not the indication this year.

Current and Recent Weather in the Arctic

In addition to the storm, the negative AO has been conducive to accelerating ice melting by increased insolation.

September 16 Arctic Oscillation Forecast from AER:

The AO, which has remained almost consistently in negative territory since late June, has resulted in near record low AO values for July and August. The AO is predicted to first trend positive through the weekend and pop into positive territory early next week. However by midweek the AO is predicted to return back into negative territory and remain negative through early October.

“The positive trend in the AO and the setting sun may have brought an early end to the Arctic sea ice melt season but not before sea ice extent achieved its fourth lowest value since observations began.  It is likely that the extremely low AO values observed in July and August are reflective of atmospheric conditions (sunny and warm) that were conducive to rapid sea ice melt.”

https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation

The Alaska Dispatch News reported August 27 on the storm effects at Barrow, Alaska:

“The service has issued a coastal flood warning for Barrow until Friday morning, along with a high surf advisory for the western part of the North Slope and a gale warning for much of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Seas up to 14 feet were forecast for Thursday in the Chukchi. . .Thursday’s high waves and flooding are products of a large storm that’s being felt as far as Southcentral Alaska, where high winds are forecast, Metzger said. “It’s a pretty big low-pressure system that’s over the Arctic Ocean,” he said. ”

https://www.adn.com/article/20150827/high-winds-causing-big-waves-flooding-barrow

This storm is reminiscent of the 2012 event that resulted in the lowest ice, greatest water extent this century. The high winds, waves and swells have several effects: Gales push ice floes, opening water between them and pushing them toward warmer waters; Ice pieces are churned and fractured increasing the melt rate; Wave action can flood ice packs or can cause compacting, further reducing extent.

Update Sept. 20, 2015: 2014 and 2015 Minimums Established, 11 days ago in NOAA, 2 days ago in MASIE

In the annual match of the ocean vs. Arctic ice, Mother Nature has blown the whistle. Results are little confusing, since NOAA shows the lowest extent 11 days ago, and MASIE only 2 days ago. Moreover, MASIE dropped a lot of ice in the recent period and is now showing less ice than NOAA.  Usually, MASIE is higher by 2-300k km2.

Still, for the climate record it will be the September average that counts, and the platform is firmed up for that result.

First the daily situation:

 

September 19 day 262 results from MASIE. 2014 loses a lot while 2015 gains a lot of ice extent.

While 2014 lost 46k of ice, 2015 gained 70k recovering well above the previous annual daily ice minimum..

2015 ice extent now trails 2014 by 10.6%, which is about 538k km2 difference. Day 262 is the 2014 daily ice extent minimum. Day 260 was 2015 minimum, according to MASIE.

Comparing 2014 and 2015 at Annual Minimums

Ice Extents	Day 2014262	Day 2015260	Ice Extent
Region	Ann Min	Ann Min	km2 Diff.
(0) Northern_Hemisphere	5066134	4442258	-623876
(1) Beaufort_Sea	655536	484880	-170656
(2) Chukchi_Sea	235122	187420	-47701
(3) East_Siberian_Sea	455832	219274	-236559
(4) Laptev_Sea	1212	44701	43489
(5) Kara_Sea	64255	1778	-62478
(6) Barents_Sea	132741	18	-132723
(7) Greenland_Sea	210190	236707	26517
(8) Baffin_Bay_Gulf_of_St._Lawrence	18245	57136	38891
(9) Canadian_Archipelago	341623	228074	-113549
(10) Hudson_Bay	862	47674	46811
(11) Central_Arctic	2949375	2933456	-15919

The table shows the effects of weather in the western Arctic.  In August 2015 lost 700k km2 more than 2014, a differential that persisted to the minimum.  The reductions occurred in the BCE region and in the near by CAA (Canadian Archipelago).  In addition in the east, Barents melted out early and entirely, and nearby Kara become mostly open water.

Elsewhere, on the Canadian side, Hudson and Baffin Bay along with the Greenland Sea had more ice, and the Central Arctic was nearly the same as in 2014.

2015 Recap:

The first 19 days of September 2015 is in the books, so here is an outlook on the melt season conclusion beyond the daily minimums.

For most of the season, 2015 Arctic sea ice extent was tracking 2014. In fact the July average extent was slightly higher than 2014. Then weather intervened in the last week of August. A large and strong cyclone centered over Chukchi Sea began breaking up ice in the BCE Region and affecting CAA (Canadian Archipelago) and the Central Arctic.  In addition, most of the summer the Arctic Oscillation (AO) was in negative phase, meaning fewer clouds, more direct insolation and ice melting.  More discussion of these two factors is at the end of this post.

The effects of this storm are seen in the rapid increase in water extent ( 482k km2 in one week) so that August 31 2015 had less ice than did 2014 at minimum September 19. Water extent continued to grow, and then stabilized once the storm abated and the AO went from negative to neutral.  Now the ice is growing beyond the daily minimum.

Comparing MASIE and NOAA Ice Extents.

Month	2015	2015	2015	2014	2014	2014
Ave.	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA
Feb				15.032	14.498	0.534
March				15.170	14.758	0.413
April	13.650	13.954	-0.304	14.318	14.088	0.230
May	12.646	12.485	0.161	12.916	12.701	0.215
June	10.841	10.889	-0.049	11.324	11.033	0.292
July	8.713	8.411	0.302	8.482	8.108	0.374
August	5.961	5.658	0.303	6.353	6.078	0.275
Sept	4.545	4.463	0.082	5.364	5.220	0.144
Oct				7.697	7.232	0.464

The table shows July 2015 was above 2014 but late August weather caused a drop in monthly averages.  The August average is now complete and shows ice extent dropped ~2.7M km2 from July, compared to a 2014 loss of ~2.0M. That difference has persisted up to today. NOAA typically reports a lower extent than MASIE, a difference that averaged ~300k km2.  Then in one week MASIE dropped while NOAA plateaued, and now NOAA September extents are quite close to MASIE, some days showing a higher number.

With the September daily ice starting out lower than 2014 the monthly average should end up much smaller.  The September first 19 days average is shown, a figure that should rise and end the month near 4.6M km2. This presumes the minimum has definitely occurred, and the recovery is in effect.

In any case, I am not alarmed over open water in the Arctic. Steadily increasing and above average September ice extents signify the coming of the next ice age, a genuine threat to human life and prosperity.  Fortunately, that is not the indication this year.

Current and Recent Weather in the Arctic

In addition to the storm, the negative AO has been conducive to accelerating ice melting by increased insolation.

September 16 Arctic Oscillation Forecast from AER:

The AO, which has remained almost consistently in negative territory since late June, has resulted in near record low AO values for July and August. The AO is predicted to first trend positive through the weekend and pop into positive territory early next week. However by midweek the AO is predicted to return back into negative territory and remain negative through early October.

“The positive trend in the AO and the setting sun may have brought an early end to the Arctic sea ice melt season but not before sea ice extent achieved its fourth lowest value since observations began.  It is likely that the extremely low AO values observed in July and August are reflective of atmospheric conditions (sunny and warm) that were conducive to rapid sea ice melt.”

https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation

The Alaska Dispatch News reported August 27 on the storm effects at Barrow, Alaska:

“The service has issued a coastal flood warning for Barrow until Friday morning, along with a high surf advisory for the western part of the North Slope and a gale warning for much of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Seas up to 14 feet were forecast for Thursday in the Chukchi. . .Thursday’s high waves and flooding are products of a large storm that’s being felt as far as Southcentral Alaska, where high winds are forecast, Metzger said. “It’s a pretty big low-pressure system that’s over the Arctic Ocean,” he said. ”

https://www.adn.com/article/20150827/high-winds-causing-big-waves-flooding-barrow

This storm is reminiscent of the 2012 event that resulted in the lowest ice, greatest water extent this century. The high winds, waves and swells have several effects: Gales push ice floes, opening water between them and pushing them toward warmer waters; Ice pieces are churned and fractured increasing the melt rate; Wave action can flood ice packs or can cause compacting, further reducing extent.

In my Arctic Ice Watch reports I have been tracking progress toward September minimum with graphs like these (data from MASIE):

Doing this after a 3-week break, I was struck by the chart looking a lot like the scoring summary of a tight basketball game, only upside down.

Then AndyG55 commented on my recent summary by linking to this chart from Ed Hoskins:

As the above diagram shows, the temperature balance was pretty close for 7000 years, until the cooling accelerated over the last 3000 years.

My light bulb was in seeing that the summer melt is actually the enormous effort by the ocean to recover water trapped as sea ice in the Arctic. The ice extent varies greatly over the centuries and we know from artifacts that it has been both greater and smaller than presently.  In this time of global warming alarmism, some of us watching the melt season find ourselves hoping for the ice to gain extent, simply to take away that basis for claiming the end is nigh.

Let’s be clear. In this contest between the ice and ocean, we humans should be rooting for the ocean, and so would plants and animals if they knew what was going on. None of us want another ice age, so it is a good thing that the ocean has been gaining on the sea ice extent in the last 150 years.

Once again warmists have got it backwards. The Arctic is a canary all right: The more ice there is in September, the closer we are to the next ice age. Open water in the Arctic is a good thing for the ocean and for the planet.

So taking off the warmist glasses, we should be cheering as the water extent grows and the ice retreats. We don’t wish for a record low because that would drive the alarmists into a frenzy.  Anything around 5M km2 for September would signify nothing unusual is happening, so scary things must be found elsewhere.

Maybe the chart should look like this to emphasize the positives of more water, less ice.

Conclusion:
I am not so naive to think that this perspective has much chance against the warmist PR juggernaut. Already the lessening of Antarctic sea ice this year is trumpeted as proof of CO2 warming, and not a celebration of fresh water added to the ocean.

The largest ice cap in the Eurasian Arctic – Austfonna in Svalbard – is 150 miles long with a thousand waterfalls in the summer.

But as Erasmus (1466-1536) said:
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

And this one also applies:

Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.
Charles Mackay. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841)

About NOAA and MASIE Ice Extent Statistics

As we approach the serious Arctic melting season toward the September minimum, it is important to have a context to interpret various upcoming media reports.

Two factors are paramount: 1) The Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) uses the September Monthly Average as reported by NOAA; and 2) This year NOAA adjusted its measurement system, resulting in a difference in extent statistics.

NOAA says this:

March 2015
The Sea Ice Index processing was updated to use the smaller SSMIS pole hole instead of the SMM/I pole hole, and the erroneous use of the SMMR pole hole in SSM/I and SSMIS data was also corrected. In addition, a new residual weather climatology mask was applied to the Northern Hemisphere that better represents where ice will and will not be, and the extent values in the daily extent data files have been rounded to three decimal places instead of six because that is the precision of the data. The entire time series was reprocessed and now reflects these changes.

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/noaa/g02135_seaice_index/#mar-2015

As many are aware, NOAA numbers come entirely from passive microwave sensors on satellites, while MASIE ice charts are prepared by the National Ice Center based on multiple sources, including the microwave results, but also satellite imagery and field reports. More of the difference in methodologies and historical results is described here:
https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/comparing-noaa-and-masie-arctic-ice-extent/

Something Different This Year

At the moment we are seeing that NOAA is now reporting ice extent figures that are much closer to MASIE than previously. The following table shows the comparison.

Monthly	2015	2015	2015	2014	2014	2014
Averages	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA	MASIE	NOAA	MASIE-NOAA
February				15.032	14.498	0.534
March				15.170	14.758	0.413
April	13.650	13.954	-0.304	14.318	14.088	0.230
May	12.646	12.485	0.161	12.916	12.701	0.215
June	10.841	10.889	-0.049	11.324	11.033	0.292
July	9.573	9.473	0.100	8.482	8.108	0.374
August				6.353	6.078	0.275
September				5.364	5.220	0.144
October				7.697	7.232	0.464

All figures are in M km2. MASIE results stopped last year after October and did not resume until April 2015. The July 2015 average includes only the first 12 days, so it can not be compared to July 2014 30-day average.

Note that last year MASIE showed higher extents in all months, ranging higher by 200-500k km2, except for the September minimum. However, in 2015 NOAA changes show results much closer to MASIE, at times even larger extents. June was almost the same, something that didn’t happen in the past.

Summary

In some charts showing Arctic daily ice extent from several years, NOAA 2015 results exceed 2014 partly because of an adjusted system. The newer numbers are more in synch with MASIE results.

So far 2015 monthly averages are running slightly below last year when comparing MASIE to itself, or NOAA to itself. And SIPN median prediction is for a slightly lower minimum.

However, in the last 2 weeks 2015 is showing higher extent than the same period last year, presently an increase of ~ 500k km2.  Will that trend continue?

What will NOAA show in September? In addition to natural uncertainty, some differences may arise from system changes. At least this time, the adjustments are not in an alarming direction.

NOAA data is here:

ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/DATASETS/NOAA/G02135/north/daily/data/

MASIE Update July 13, 2015

2015 retains 2% lead over 2014 in BCE Region

Some Arctic ice watchers are focused on the BCE region: Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian Seas. It seems that when multi-year ice collects in this region, the Arctic Sea ice margin is protected, and the melting is reduced, resulting in a higher September minimum. Thus an early melting in BCE region can signal a lower summer minimum for NH ice extent, and vice-versa.

To monitor this, I have added a BCE index, being the total 2015 ice extent in BCE as a % of total 2014 extent in the same region. All figures from MASIE.

Note that the BCE maximum ice extent is comparable in size to Arctic Sea max. Historically BCE melts much more than the Arctic Sea; for example, in 2014 BCE lost 58% of its max compared to only 10% for Arctic Sea.

BCE Index recent results:

Day	BCE 2015	% of 2014
187	2597170	100.2%
188	2594289	99.8%
189	2593287	99.2%
190	2538316	99.1%
191	2540197	100.6%
192	2534781	102.8%
193	2529403	102.6%

Part of the interest in BCE this year comes from the warm water blob in the N. Pacific, that may add melting to this region located on the Asian side. The two years were virtually identical with little melting prior to day 130. Daily losses since then have been similar and the 2 years were tied on day 146. For 3 days 2015 took some losses while 2014 held on to gains. Since day 150 the gap has been ~3-4%, until recently.

The Blob may have melted out Bering Sea early, and that may now be causing Chukchi to have lower extent than last year.  Yet the BCE region had more ice than 2014 for 13 days until slipping behind for 3 days, then recovering to again lead by 2%.

For more on the Blob:  https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/06/13/how-about-that-blob-june-13-update/

July 13, 2015

Day 193, July 12 results from MASIE. Arctic ice extent lead over 2014 dips to 471k km2: A day when 2014 regains ice while 2015 has a small loss. .

2014 gained 58k on this day while 2015 lost 21k, reaching a new seasonal minimum of 9.13M km2. The loss is now 37.2% from NH max on day 93.

2014 extent now trails 2015 by 5.4%, which is about 471k km2 difference.

2015 losses were spread, the largest being 10k in Chukchi.

The seas that have lost ice are: (% lost from each sea’s max)

Baltic 100%
Bering 100%
Okhotsk 99.2%
Barents 87.8%
Baffin Bay 73.7%
Kara 71.1%
Hudson Bay 49.6%
Chukchi 39.2%
Greenland 27.8%
Laptev 19.2%
Beaufort 13.3%
Can Archipelago 12.4%
East Siberian 6.7%

The other seas have lost less than 5% from their maximums.

The seas contributing most to the total NH ice extent loss:

(5) Kara_Sea 12.0%
(6) Barents_Sea 9.6%
(8) Baffin_Bay_Gulf_of_St._L 23.4%
(10) Hudson_Bay 11.3%
(12) Bering_Sea 12.2%
(14) Sea_of_Okhotsk 11.4%

2015 melt still trails 2014 by 5 days.

Outlook:

At this point, the median outlook for NH ice extent average for September 2015 is about 5M km2, slightly below last year. That seems reasonable to me, given the lower March max, but also considering the higher ice thickness. Of course, there is no predicting what weather events will affect the ice melting and compacting between now and October.

What’s at stake this year? If September average is higher than last year, then it supports the recovery narrative. Slightly lower than 2014 (the consensus prediction) and the generally declining trend is supported. A major fall off in ice extent would be followed by mass media alarm bells.