GHRSST monitors the Arctic Ocean sea ice extent and SST...
( Last Updated: 18-07-2008 )
GHRSST follows the development in the Arctic Ocean sea ice extent and sea surface temperature
The Arctic Ocean shows very large inter annual variations in the sea ice extent and in the sea surface temperature. Year 2007 showed a record low Arctic Ocean ice cover and with the presence of first-year ice at the North Pole this year, there is a possibility that the North Pole might be ice free later this year. At the moment, the sea ice extent in the Arctic is larger than last year but smaller than the climatological sea ice extent. The sea ice minimum in September will depend upon the coming months and is difficult to predict due to the large presence of first year ice.
The sea surface temperatures of the open waters in the Arctic show large positive anomaly in the Beaufort Sea at the mouth of the Mackenzie River, where sea surface temperatures are more than 5 degrees warmer than normal. In addition, the waters in the eastern part of the Baffin Bay are significantly warmer than normal.
To follow the situation closely, have a look at the GHRSST Level 4 products and at the GMPE web site.