University Of Bremen AMSR Update 10 August - Rapid Decline Continuing Between 75 & 90 N

[hatrack]

It's especially pronounced in the (roughly) 110-degree section between the Mackenzie Delta (right between Nunavut and Alaska) and the Lena Delta (the really long river you'll on the Siberian side of the map rising not far from Lake Baikal).

http://iup.physik.uni-bremen.de:8084/amsr/arctic_AMSRE_nic.png

[DLnyc]

1. another picture, comparing aug 7 2006 and aug 6 2007

(edit to add: Doesn't flashing red mean "STOP"?)
(oops, edit again to fix date)

[Dead_Parrot]

2. Nice

What's with the patches of open water up the North-East side of Greenland and the North side of Ellesmere? I didn't notice those on the previous image, but I might have just missed them.

:shrug:

Edit: OK, the Ellesmere stuff is new, the Greenland lot has been there a while. For those with too much time on their hands, the image archives are here.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Do we have an official date for an open Northwest Passage?

This has been one of the holy grails of the pre-technological world. It is what drove Beaufort to become Beaufort. Hundreds of sea chanties have been written about it. And it seems to have become real as of this past week.

Not too many people are aware of the significance of this event; the golden age of computationally-unassisted human navigation of the high seas has passed. Soon, too, the golden age of humans may pass.

--p!

[hatrack]

4. It looks like that date is right now, judging by this satellite imaging . . .

http://iup.physik.uni-bremen.de:8084/amsr/NorthWestPassage_visual.png

[KingofNewOrleans]

5. Depends on how you define open

You could probably get a sail boat thru there, especially one with a reinforced hull. Not open enough for shipping yet though. I guess the arbiter of an open Northwest passage would be the Canadian Ice Service.

http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca/App/WsvPageDsp.cfm?ID=1&Lang=eng