The climatology's data are from Chapman, W. L. and J. E. Walsh, Long-Range Prediction of Regional Sea Ice Anomalies in the Arctic, Weather and Forecasting, 6, pp 271-288, 1991. The data are available from the the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The climatology figures are based on the 90 years, 1901-1990 of this data set for the northern hemisphere, and the 18 years 1973-1990 for the southern hemisphere. The original data are monthly only, and have been interpolated to daily using the fourier decomposition of the monthly values.
e-mail errors or additional analysis sites to Robert.Grumbine@noaa.gov
Last Modified 11 September 2007.
Month | Climatology | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
January | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
February | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
March | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
April | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
May | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
June | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
July | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
August | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
September | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
October | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
November | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
December | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
Month | Climatology | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | ||||||
January | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
February | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
March | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
April | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
May | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
June | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
July | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
August | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
September | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
October | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
November | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
December | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
Month | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | ||||||
January | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
February | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
March | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
April | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
May | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
June | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
July | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
August | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
September | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
October | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
November | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
December | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South | North | South |
The 'year' is the ice year, starting October 1 of the listed year and running to September 30 of the following year. Ice year 1995 runs from 1 October 1995 to 30 September 1996. This is done because October 1 is a typical reference date in sea ice work, and because it is near the annual minimum. You'll be able to watch the growth and then decay of ice through the seasonal cycle.
The graphics are exactly the graphics available in the monthly animations. The only difference is to construct an annual file. Consequently, where there are missing graphics or data dropouts in the monthlies, there will also be so in the yearly.
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004