Snow & Ice coverage in the Northern Hemisphere Winter 2019/20

[NorthernRab]

White pixels over Scotland tomorrow? 

[Aleman]

5.5 inches of snow reported in Amarillo, Texas (annual average 18 inches). A bit unusual for October but not a major winter storm. More of a localised oddity.

 

[Aleman]

5 minutes ago, NorthernRab said:

White pixels over Scotland tomorrow? 

Already showing here. Looks like the Atlas Mountain snow melted quickly.

Climate Reanalyzer

CLIMATEREANALYZER.ORG

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Aleman

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

 

[Midlands Ice Age]

US NIC this morning.

Looks like it could be a 'big one', with increases in all the major sea areas.

I expect  a century, maybe even a double century in ice with Beaufort and the CAA leading the way.

Back later with details.

MIA

[Katrine Basso]

The latest snow and ice chart:

[Don]

21 minutes ago, Katrine Basso said:

The latest snow and ice chart:

Nice to see white appear in Scotland!

[JeffC]

3 hours ago, Don said:

Nice to see white appear in Scotland!

Was just thinking that myself. Sprinkling on the cells hereabouts this morning

[Midlands Ice Age]

Just back after a day out.

Masie is beautiful today!!!  

My suggestion earlier of maybe a double century growth was underestimated.

It totalled 243K Km2.

Many areas recorded sizeable gains and nowhere had a negative.

Beaufort (+37K) connected to Alaska and looks now ready to break out.

ESS(39K) and Laptev(+50K) continue their now rapid refreeze.

Kara(+29K) and Barents(+12K) are now showing scattered ice forming in the mid ocean. Always a sign that a flash melt is imminent. Sea temperatures have clearly fallen to the point that they will support ice growth.

Greenland (+21K) rebounded after a few days of losses. As did the CAA (+40K). and Baffin(+5K).  Warming there now apparently ending. 

Central is still expanding, slowly (+4K) towards filling up..

All the areas above are regarded as 'inner' areas, as they normally become iced over in winter.

This year compared to last shows a very large deficiency in the CAA and Hudson (a gap of 400K).

These areas are still struggling to show growth this year, and it now looks certain they will refreeze pretty soon(maybe a couple of weeks), and maybe even with a flash freeze..

The 'outer' sea areas seem to be freezing earlier with Baring and the SOO apparently freezing  7 - 10 days earlier than last year. 

All the above indicate to me that we will see a continued pretty quick growth now that the northern seas have apparently lost some of their heat that they had acquired over the summer, and that 2019/20 final extent numbers may not be as low as many people are fearing,

Ice thickness and volume may be more of a challenge, but more mobile  ice may start to pile the ice up and hence produce more ridging and folding.

MIA   

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by Midlands Ice Age

[matty40s]

10 hours ago, Don said:

Nice to see white appear in Scotland!

Snow on the tops in the Lakes and on Snowdon today.

[Katrine Basso]

More increases in sea ice:

 

[Midlands Ice Age]

10 hours ago, Katrine Basso said:

More increases in sea ice:

 

Yep, looking like another 150 - 200 K on the cards.

For interest JAXA recorded a 283K increase yesterday. Pretty well off the scale.

Also the snow now looks rock solid in Siberia and Russia and is also now spreading into North East China and the Pacific Islands.

MIA

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Midlands Ice Age

[claret047]

12 hours ago, Midlands Ice Age said:

Just back after a day out.

Masie is beautiful today!!!  

My suggestion earlier of maybe a double century growth was underestimated.

It totalled 243K Km2.

Many areas recorded sizeable gains and nowhere had a negative.

Beaufort (+37K) connected to Alaska and looks now ready to break out.

ESS(39K) and Laptev(+50K) continue their now rapid refreeze.

Kara(+29K) and Barents(+12K) are now showing scattered ice forming in the mid ocean. Always a sign that a flash melt is imminent. Sea temperatures have clearly fallen to the point that they will support ice growth.

Greenland (+21K) rebounded after a few days of losses. As did the CAA (+40K). and Baffin(+5K).  Warming there now apparently ending. 

Central is still expanding, slowly (+4K) towards filling up..

All the areas above are regarded as 'inner' areas, as they normally become iced over in winter.

This year compared to last shows a very large deficiency in the CAA and Hudson (a gap of 400K).

These areas are still struggling to show growth this year, and it now looks certain they will refreeze pretty soon(maybe a couple of weeks), and maybe even with a flash freeze..

The 'outer' sea areas seem to be freezing earlier with Baring and the SOO apparently freezing  7 - 10 days earlier than last year. 

All the above indicate to me that we will see a continued pretty quick growth now that the northern seas have apparently lost some of their heat that they had acquired over the summer, and that 2019/20 final extent numbers may not be as low as many people are fearing,

Ice thickness and volume may be more of a challenge, but more mobile  ice may start to pile the ice up and hence produce more ridging and folding.

MIA   

 

Good Morning MIA

I trust you & your family are well.

Thanks for a very interesting read. Not used to some of the phrases you use could you please explain to an ignoramus like me what  is meant by "flash melt" & "flash refreeze"

Many thanks

Kind Regards

Dave

PS happy very belated birthday for your wife on 12th September

[Midlands Ice Age]

59 minutes ago, claret047 said:

Good Morning MIA

I trust you & your family are well.

Thanks for a very interesting read. Not used to some of the phrases you use could you please explain to an ignoramus like me what  is meant by "flash melt" & "flash refreeze"

Many thanks

Kind Regards

Dave

PS happy very belated birthday for your wife on 12th September

Hi Claret

Nice  to here from you again  too.

I have been 'hors d'combat' fairly recently with a long period of settling down after a multi-lens cataract op.

The wife also now needs a new hip replacement, but otherwise we are having the normal pensioner problems, of backs and hips!!

'Flash' freezes are when a large area say 50 - 100K freezes over in a short period of time (1 or 2 days?). It is undefined, but the recent freeze over in Laptev and ESS qualifies, as roughly 500K Km2 iced over in about 2 - 3days. If you look at Katrine's post today above, and compare the ones from a week ago, you will see that there is now only a small circle of the Laptev ocean  left to  re-freeze.. That has meant that an area three times the size of the UK has frozen over  in the last 3 days.

It frequently is easy to spot when it is about to happen, as often on a high magnification (I just use zoom) of the ice maps you will see small scattered patches of ice in between the major ice sheets. The Masie map attached below is a  perfect example if you zoom in on the expanded view that Masie presents for you, you can actually see ice now forming in the middle of the Kara Sea.

This indicates that the temp at the surface is now low enough for ice to start to freeze.  (About -1.8C ).   The fact that there are about 10 - 15 'spots' of this ice means that a wide area of the ocean is available to freeze over. Assuming no change in the weather (strong cold east winds have been prevalent for a week or more now), then  a large area could be expected to freeze very quickly.

MIA

MASIE Home | National Snow and Ice Data Center

NSIDC.ORG

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MASIE Home

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Midlands Ice Age

[claret047]

3 hours ago, Midlands Ice Age said:

Hi Claret

Nice  to here from you again  too.

I have been 'hors d'combat' fairly recently with a long period of settling down after a multi-lens cataract op.

The wife also now needs a new hip replacement, but otherwise we are having the normal pensioner problems, of backs and hips!!

'Flash' freezes are when a large area say 50 - 100K freezes over in a short period of time (1 or 2 days?). It is undefined, but the recent freeze over in Laptev and ESS qualifies, as roughly 500K Km2 iced over in about 2 - 3days. If you look at Katrine's post today above, and compare the ones from a week ago, you will see that there is now only a small circle of the Laptev ocean  left to  re-freeze.. That has meant that an area three times the size of the UK has frozen over  in the last 3 days.

It frequently is easy to spot when it is about to happen, as often on a high magnification (I just use zoom) of the ice maps you will see small scattered patches of ice in between the major ice sheets. The Masie map attached below is a  perfect example if you zoom in on the expanded view that Masie presents for you, you can actually see ice now forming in the middle of the Kara Sea.

This indicates that the temp at the surface is now low enough for ice to start to freeze.  (About -1.8C ).   The fact that there are about 10 - 15 'spots' of this ice means that a wide area of the ocean is available to freeze over. Assuming no change in the weather (strong cold east winds have been prevalent for a week or more now), then  a large area could be expected to freeze very quickly.

MIA

MASIE Home | National Snow and Ice Data Center

NSIDC.ORG

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MASIE Home

 

Thanks for your reply.

It makes sense now.

I am fine thanks, but my wife had a fall about a month ago and damaged her elbow & both knees. For a couple of weeks she could not cut her own food or walk and so I was head cook & bottle washer. I hope your operation was a success & likewise your wife's is when her time comes.

Kind Regards

Dave

[Midlands Ice Age]

Masie today..

Another 235K extent net ice gain..

Now only 2 days behind 2018 and 2012, but only 1 day behind 2016.

This shows the speed of the ice recovery that is taking place.

Laptev and ESS recorded a growth of 112K Km2 together, but now this growth rate will start to diminish as there is not much water left to refreeze.. 

This is likely to be taken up by a combination of the Beaufort (and pretty soon Bering) where growth was (+26K) today, and that on the Atlantic front of Kara(+33), Barents(+33) and Greenland (+3K).

As always, assuming  weather conditions not varying too much.

MIA

 

[Beanz]

2 hours ago, Midlands Ice Age said:

Masie today..

Another 235K extent net ice gain..

Now only 2 days behind 2018 and 2012, but only 1 day behind 2016.

This shows the speed of the ice recovery that is taking place.

Laptev and ESS recorded a growth of 112K Km2 together, but now this growth rate will start to diminish as there is not much water left to refreeze.. 

This is likely to be taken up by a combination of the Beaufort (and pretty soon Bering) where growth was (+26K) today, and that on the Atlantic front of Kara(+33), Barents(+33) and Greenland (+3K).

As always, assuming  weather conditions not varying too much.

MIA

 

Great post again.  Much more informative than those just posting an updated Masie map with no written commentary.

[claret047]

Good morning everyone.

I was uncertain as to where I should post this posting so moderators please feel free to transfer it to a more appropriate place should you so deem.

Last night I watched the BBC1 documentary presented by David Attenborough in the first of seven programmes on the world's continents the first being on Antarctica.

It was a fascinating hour's viewing and one thing that attracted my attention was one of his final comments with regards to the waters surrounding the continent. He said that it absorbed twice as much carbon dioxide as the Amazon rain forests. Earlier he had stated that the Antarctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate. These two pieces of information got me thinking. If more sea is exposed because of the ongoing melt does that mean that a greater surface will be available for carbon capture and will this in turn slow down global warming and eventually reverse it  in that particular region at least?

Kind Regards

Dave

[Midlands Ice Age]

12 hours ago, Beanz said:

Great post again.  Much more informative than those just posting an updated Masie map with no written commentary.

Thankyou Beanz...

I was wondering whether to continue with these posts with a bit more detail..  I will if it is thought useful.

It may help people who may be finding it difficult to follow if they look at the sea area ice map which is shown on Masie. This gives both the total area view of the Arctic, and also a breakdown of the individual areas, in addition to the overall ice map..

https://nsidc.org/data/masie/browse_regions

Todays US NIC  (Masie use their data)  is as expected with all areas increasing ice again, except possibly Barents where the ice  'front' appears to have moved back a little north.

Expect another 150 - 200K increase in ice, as recorded by Masie.

 I also reference the Arctic Sea Ice Forum for data, I have noted that today they have moved 2019 up from lowest to second lowest  (behind 2016) on JAXA, so that confirms my impressions of the increased ice take up in the last few days. Though 2016 was a very bad year.

Meanwhile the snow has increased again in Central Asia and has consolidated on the Pacific coasts in China. It has also spread from Central Finland into the north west of Russia. This may well herald the moving of the snowline further south into Western Russia.  

Back later on this pm

MIA

 

[Midlands Ice Age]

17 minutes ago, claret047 said:

Good morning everyone.

I was uncertain as to where I should post this posting so moderators please feel free to transfer it to a more appropriate place should you so deem.

Last night I watched the BBC1 documentary presented by David Attenborough in the first of seven programmes on the world's continents the first being on Antarctica.

It was a fascinating hour's viewing and one thing that attracted my attention was one of his final comments with regards to the waters surrounding the continent. He said that it absorbed twice as much carbon dioxide as the Amazon rain forests. Earlier he had stated that the Antarctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate. These two pieces of information got me thinking. If more sea is exposed because of the ongoing melt does that mean that a greater surface will be available for carbon capture and will this in turn slow down global warming and eventually reverse it  in that particular region at least?

Kind Regards

Dave

HIya Dave..

I too watched the program (amazing I thought),  and wondered about all his closing comments.

Many of them seemed to be tacked on at the end as an after thought.

In addition to the one above,  I noticed that he made a statement out of the blue, and again at the end,  about regions in the Antarctic recording increases of temperatures of 5 times anywhere else in the world. 

I certainly haven't seen that in any data, although I accept that the Western Peninsula is warming, but that is a small area in comparison to the rest of the continent. Its like saying a warm temperature recorded in Cornwall is representative of the UK

Very odd...

As you suggest there may be  a better place for these comments, so it is best not to continue here.

MIA

Edited October 28, 2019 by Midlands Ice Age

[DAVID SNOW]

Morning MIA, I am not allowed to 'like' any posts, so just letting you know you have at least one other interested reader.

Edited October 28, 2019 by DAVID SNOW

[Drew]

2 hours ago, claret047 said:

Good morning everyone.

I was uncertain as to where I should post this posting so moderators please feel free to transfer it to a more appropriate place should you so deem.

Last night I watched the BBC1 documentary presented by David Attenborough in the first of seven programmes on the world's continents the first being on Antarctica.

It was a fascinating hour's viewing and one thing that attracted my attention was one of his final comments with regards to the waters surrounding the continent. He said that it absorbed twice as much carbon dioxide as the Amazon rain forests. Earlier he had stated that the Antarctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate. These two pieces of information got me thinking. If more sea is exposed because of the ongoing melt does that mean that a greater surface will be available for carbon capture and will this in turn slow down global warming and eventually reverse it  in that particular region at least?

Kind Regards

Dave

The Ocean’s Carbon Balance

EARTHOBSERVATORY.NASA.GOV

---

The amount of carbon dioxide that the ocean can take from the atmosphere is controlled by both natural cycles and human activity.

Unfortunately not.. This is good article that explains the process.

 

 

[Midlands Ice Age]

6 hours ago, Drew said:

The Ocean’s Carbon Balance

EARTHOBSERVATORY.NASA.GOV

---

The amount of carbon dioxide that the ocean can take from the atmosphere is controlled by both natural cycles and human activity.

Unfortunately not.. This is good article that explains the process.

 

 

Drew,,,

 Really interesting find.

It concludes with  this summary - 

“The Southern Ocean carbon sink has not changed at all in 25 years. That’s unexpected because carbon dioxide is increasing so fast in the atmosphere that you would expect the sink to increase as well,” says Le Quéré. But it hadn’t. Instead, the Southern Ocean held steady, while atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations climbed. Why?'

Isn't this critical for the global climate models?

MIA

Edited October 28, 2019 by Midlands Ice Age

[Midlands Ice Age]

7 hours ago, DAVID SNOW said:

Morning MIA, I am not allowed to 'like' any posts, so just letting you know you have at least one other interested reader.

Thanks Dave..

OK, here goes then.

Todays Masie is again a jaw dropping 264K KM2 area increase.     Wow!

Not quite the same as I expected (with Beaufort to increase reasonably), but it only increased  by (+2K). Still puzzled by that.

However,  elsewhere was an ice fest -

ESS continued with a flash freeze impressive (+105K),  and Laptev(+28K) continues to fill up.

But attention turned to the 'western' front with Greenland increasing by (+41K) and Baffin by (+35K), after several days  of small decreases. Looks like they too have lost most of their heat now,  and it could well mean that Hudson will follow on closely behind.

I have left the most tasty morsel until last. Although it hasn't changed that much Kara looks ready to take off.

Ice has been moving out from the Russian coastline steadily, but the small 'blobs' I referred to yesterday both imcreased  in area and also joined up with the main pack moving down from Jan Mayen Isles ..This resulted in a gain of (+41K), but larger increases can be expected as the freeze now attacks the gaps formed.

All in all I see no reason to suggest that the position looks very positive for the next few days.

A further 2 weeks of this rate of growth will see the 2018 winter ice freeze, back in the main pack.

For the real 'nerds' amongst you - it only took a record equalling 6 days for the ice to increase from 5.800K Km2 to a  figure of 7,200K Km2  (todays) . Now that really is impressive and ranks with some of the fastest growth rates recorded. All this  whilst the temperature has averaged 3C ABOVE average. Really is getting more and more interesting and puzzling.

 

 

MIA

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Today in pictures: a week of heavy snowfall blankets Lapland

WWW.HELSINKITIMES.FI

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A weekend of heavy snowfall has left Rovaniemi covered in the white stuff.