Arctic sea ice July 2023

The Arctic reached high temperatures early July 2023, as illustrated by the combination image below, created with nullschool.net images. 


As the globe on the left shows, on July 8, 2023, sea surface temperatures as high as 11.7°C or 53°F were recorded at a location where the Mackenzie River flows into the Arctic Ocean (green circle). The globe at the center shows that sea surface temperature anomalies as high as 13.2°C or 23.7°F were recorded that day in the area marked by the green circle. Hot water from rivers ending in the Arctic Ocean is one way the water heats up.

The water of the Arctic Ocean also heats up by direct heat from sunlight. The globe on the right shows that a temperature of 33°C or 91.3°F was recorded in Canada near the Arctic Ocean and near the Mackenzie River (green circle), with the heatwave on land extending over the Arctic Ocean.

Furthermore, heat entering the Arctic Ocean from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean heats up the water of the Arctic Ocean, melting the sea ice from below. The image below, created with Climate Reanalyzer images, shows that the North Atlantic sea surface temperature was 24°C on July 8, 2023 (black), a full 1°C above the 23°C recorded on July 8, 2022 (orange).

The above image also shows that a record high temperature was reached on the North Atlantic of 24.9°C on September 4, 2022.

The 2022 temperatures were reached while La Niña was suppressing temperatures, whereas El Niño is now pushing up temperatures, so even higher temperatures can be expected in September this year.

Since Arctic sea ice typically reaches a minimum extent for the year about mid-September, there still are a few weeks of melting to go this year.

Arctic sea ice is getting very thin. The image on the right, adapted from Uni of Bremen, shows the sea ice thickness in cm on July 8, 2023.

The image on the right, also adapted from Uni of Bremen, shows Arctic sea ice concentration on July 9, 2023.

Conclusion

The dire situation is getting more dire every day, calling for a Climate Emergency Declaration and implementation of comprehensive and effective action, as described in the Climate Plan with an update at Transforming Society.


Links

• Nullschool
https://earth.nullschool.net