March Arctic Ice Plentiful

Previous posts showed 2020 Arctic Ice breaking the 15M km2 ceiling mid March before starting the Spring melt in as usual later in the month. The graph above shows that the March monthly average has varied little since 2007, typically around the SII average of 14.7 Mkm2 +/- a few %. Of course there are regional differences as described below.

The graph above shows ice extent through March comparing 2020 MASIE reports with the 13-year average, other recent years and with SII. After exceeding the average the first half, extents fell off the last 10 days, principally due to melting in the Pacfic basins of Bering and Okhotsk.

The table below shows the distribution of sea ice across the Arctic regions.

Region	2020091	Day 091 Average	2020-Ave.	2007091	2020-2007
(0) Northern_Hemisphere	14282630	14713851	-431221	14158467	124163
(1) Beaufort_Sea	1070655	1070176	479	1069711	944
(2) Chukchi_Sea	963163	963149	14	966006	-2844
(3) East_Siberian_Sea	1086324	1086066	258	1074213	12111
(4) Laptev_Sea	897668	895482	2186	867162	30506
(5) Kara_Sea	928986	916178	12808	908181	20805
(6) Barents_Sea	688659	648978	39681	469156	219503
(7) Greenland_Sea	709503	656533	52970	670061	39442
(8) Baffin_Bay_Gulf_of_St._Lawrence	1320493	439783	-119290	1232093	88399
(9) Canadian_Archipelago	854282	852731	1552	849011	5271
(10) Hudson_Bay	1260152	1254854	5298	1229963	30189
(11) Central_Arctic	3248013	3235482	12531	3245424	2589
(12) Bering_Sea	484084	744587	-260503	721969	-237885
(13) Baltic_Sea	8975	65202	-56227	45656	-36682
(14) Sea_of_Okhotsk	753705	874501	-120796	797516	-43812

Overall NH extent March 31 was below average by 431k km2, or 3%. The bulk of the deficit is seen in Bering and Okhotsk seas, along with Baffin Bay. Everywhere else is slightly surplus, with the exception of the Baltic, which never froze completely this year.

Region	2020080	Day 080 Average	2020-Ave.	2007080	2020-2007
(0) Northern_Hemisphere	14901276	14873303	27972	14547397	353879
(1) Beaufort_Sea	1070655	1070207	448	1069711	944
(2) Chukchi_Sea	966006	965780	226	966006	0
(3) East_Siberian_Sea	1087137	1087135	3	1087137	0
(4) Laptev_Sea	897845	897799	46	897845	0
(5) Kara_Sea	934902	917684	17218	912117	22785
(6) Barents_Sea	749134	620285	128849	583698	165436
(7) Greenland_Sea	688025	628250	59776	606689	81336
(8) Baffin_Bay_Gulf_of_St._Lawrence	1494573	1537332	-42760	1392468	102105
(9) Canadian_Archipelago	854282	852953	1330	852767	1516
(10) Hudson_Bay	1260903	1260407	497	1259717	1186
(11) Central_Arctic	3248013	3223120	24893	3239953	8060
(12) Bering_Sea	543951	757159	-213208	836184	-292233
(13) Baltic_Sea	13401	80508	-67107	83894	-70492
(14) Sea_of_Okhotsk	1083325	958236	125089	739985	343340

As of yesterday, Day 2020071 matches the NH 13-year average and also most regions. Bering Sea is the main deficit to average along with Baffin Bay and Baltic Sea. Offsetting surpluses appear in Barents and Okhotsk Seas, as well as Greenland Sea and Central Arctic and Barents Sea. Note Okhotsk sea ice is almost 50% more than the extent in 2007.