Quote of the Week - "I think what we're seeing thus far is quite unusual ..."

Quote of the Week - "I think what we're seeing thus far is quite unusual in terms of warm winter and spring temperatures that have contributed to ice retreat and lack of ice growth during winter," said Julienne Stroeve, a senior research scientist at the NSIDC, in an email to Mashable.

The fracturing of sea ice is especially pronounced in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska, where satellite images show the ice rapidly breaking up during the past two weeks. 

"... This is important because what it's doing is isolating the multi-year ice floes and having them surrounded by open water that can enhance melt of those thicker floes.  So that is something to watch this summer, whether or not those floes survive will be important to the September minima," Stroeve said.

Fractures seen in rapidly melting Arctic sea ice, and it's only May by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, May 12, 2016

Read original article at 2016 SkS Weekly Digest #20