Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Science Rendezvous > 2009 Posters
The presenter is listed in italics. All poster presentations are the property of their respective authors. Please contact the authors for permission to use images, information, or ideas.

20th Century Russian Sea Ice Variability: Results from a New Digital Dataset

Andy Mahoney, Roger Barry, Vasily Smolyanitsky, and Florence Fetterer

We present a timeseries of sea ice extent in the Russian Arctic based on observational sea ice charts of the Russian Arctic compiled by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI). These charts represent perhaps the oldest operational sea ice data in existence and show that sea ice extent in the Russian Arctic has generally decreased since 1933.

This retreat has not been continuous, however, with the ice charts showing two periods of retreat separated by a partial recovery between the mid-1950s and mid-1980s. The AARI charts, combined with air temperature records suggest that the retreat in recent years is pan-Arctic and year round in some regions, whereas the early 20th century retreat was confined to summer and autumn in the Russian Arctic.

We therefore conclude that a significant transition occurred in the Russian Arctic in the mid 1980s, when its sea ice began to retreat along with that of the rest of the Arctic. Results derived from the HadISST dataset agree with the overall trend, but do not indicate this transition or the partial recovery that took place before it. The AARI charts therefore add significantly to our understanding of the variability of Arctic sea ice over the last 8 decades. and we recommend their inclusion in future historical datasets of Arctic sea ice.