AMSR Polar Ice Imagery For 9 August - Pack Extent, Thickness Continue To Drop Rapidly

[hatrack]

As things now stand, there are points in Siberia from which you could sail north and not encounter the solid pack for 400 - 450 miles. Interesting.


http://iup.physik.uni-bremen.de:8084/amsr/arctic_AMSRE_nic.png

[phantom power]

1. There really isn't very much "100%" up there, is there.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't true that anything less than 100% kind of implies it's not solid?

[hatrack]

3. There are some soft spots in the imaging - i.e. how meltwater ponds show up vs. solid pack ice

However, since the meltwater mechanicms are pretty well understood, until mid-September, it's probably safe to say that where meltwater forms, there cracks and holes will follow.

[YankeyMCC]

2. "Drop Rapidly" ? Could the phrase you're looking for be

...oh I don't know..."Faster Than Expected!"