Totally unfamiliar wide region of sea ice between North of Greenland and Ellesmere

~I have no explanation for this
~One thing for sure,  it was not air temperature driven
~Highly likely abnormal under sea ice ocean temperatures

  First we look at 2012:

  Quite normal sea ice in densest pack ice field even for August 5 2012, then  a very terrible year for sea ice,  now look at this:

   This August 5 2018 sea ice area seems awfully weak,  even ready to melt off completely.  All I know is that there is a tidal current going towards the Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island,  it usually has a semi-circular look about 1/10 the size of this area.   WD August 5 2018

6 years later, what about 80 degrees North?

~2012 all time minima melt is on the brink of being surpassed

~In fact 2012 Central Arctic Basin is almost the same as 2018

~What is left is not what matters,  what matters is at 80 degrees North

To date,  Canadian Arctic Archipelago has 250,000 Km2 more sea ice than 2012,  strangely,  given the onslaught of broken sea ice which invaded the area, Beaufort sea has the same extent,  but East Siberian has another 250,000 Km2 more.  What is left is the Central Arctic Basin,  with 2018 having slightly less sea ice extent than 2012.  The colours which matter on the following AMSR2 Google graphs are orange 2012,  olive green 2016 and black 2018:

   All said and done,  today 2018 is still technically #1 in lowest extent since East Siberian and CAA ice will at least shrink by 400,000 km2 come minima in mid September.  Today was the 2012 great cyclone anniversary date,  which violently stirred and mixed up already emaciated sea ice,  lets look at 80 degrees North:

     80 degrees North 157 West  is in worse shape in 2018, what matters is the greater open water signifying greater melting,  2012 had more thin ice left.  Again,  the measuring limitations given by the 15% extent rule may not show a great difference in extent numbers between these two seasons.   Nevertheless,  this type of sea ice rot emplies East Siberian sea will be eventually surrounded by open water, easing the quicker melting of the ice peninsula further to its North .  The quicker this ice   disappears the more certain 2018 will be #1 lowest.  WD August 5 2018

Monster hot sst from Pacific finishing off broken up sea ice extremely rapidly

~The damage was done my movement of sea ice,  the job of melting is finished off by warmer sst's.

    July 19-July 31 JAXA loop demonstrating the process of total disintegration of sea ice in the Pacific sector of the Pole,  with extreme rapidity.  We note lesser but significant melting everywhere else with open water. 

  Zoomed July 29-31:

  The East Siberian sea ice Peninsula (1.5 million km2 strong)  is in the process of completely disappearing,  when so looses cohesion, as a result,  sea ice scatters and nulls the extent numbers loss a bit,  only to be corrected when every pan of pack vanishes.  WD August 1, 2018

Atlantic front race to 85 North vs Pacific waters massacre

~Central Arctic Basin 2018 is #1 is lowest extent

~ Beaufort sea and CAA make up  400 K difference with 2012, while 2018 has 464, 000 km2 more sea ice than 12

~ Along with other peripheral seas, which will have near 0 extent come mid September,  2018 is technically #1 at the moment.  

   CMC reporting whopping +9 C sea surface temperatures in the Bering sea can only mean one thing:

  We note super fast melting conditions North of Bering sea,  with ripe conditions enhanced by a High pressure Gyre favouring compaction and flow of  extreme warm waters finishing off straggling sea ice pans.  On the Atlantic Front,  we see Fram Strait loosing sea ice rapidly due to no flow conditions, but also a race towards a 85N on the entire Atlantic sea ice shore line.  The NE passage is about to open first, equally as expected in April,  the NW passage is clogged with sea ice but should open partially much later. 

     What about the black spots appearing in waves on the JAXA animation above?  They are open water zones opening closing rapidly as captured 82 N 176 W:

   The JAXA dark spots indicate rapid movement of sea ice sometimes leaving open water gaps which may fill with rubble and slush,  is part of the same process detected North of Alaska about a month ago.  Rapid motion of sea ice may be interpreted as steady sea ice albedo until the slush turns to goodbye waves,  when the entire pack collapses rapidly as occurring North of Alaska at present.  WD July 30 2018

Vast 2018 region of Arctic Ocean sea ice in much worse shape than 2012

~Gyre area sea ice about to totally melt or simply move away very rapidly
~15% extent rule certainly favours 2012 as having similar sea ice extent than 2018 in same region.

July 26 2018 Gyre region sea ice is in a catastrophic state.  We can see the blue ocean overtaking the pristine white sea ice. 

2012 same date same place was in bad shape as well,  but not as terrible as 2018 deep in the Gyre zone.

A closer look:

  In all technicality 2018 has less sea ice than 2012 for a vast area,  but the 15% extent rule makes 2012 similar.   Hindsight being 20/20 ,  we did not know how bad 2012 was until a very strong
early August cyclone came through,  having the benefit of this history, we now know that 2018 is
very much going to overtake 2012 very soon,  at least in this region,  there should be not a lot of sea ice left come late September. WD July 27,2018

Current sea ice extent is getting close to be nearly equal to all time melt year

~After July 23 more than 200K drop,  on July 25 2018  there is a +421,497 Km2 difference in extent between 2018 and 2012.  

~There are ample reasons to believe that 2012 extent will be caught up soon

   2018 Canadian Arctic Archipelago has indeed the lasting ice imprint of very cold Upper Atmosphere as measured by vertical sun disk measurements,  there is no contradiction,  one area
of the Arctic may be quite cold while the majority of its lands and seas much warmer.   Each year varies,  2012 Northwest passage opened very early,  does not look so for 2018.

CAA current July 25 sea ice extent. 2018 trace is in black, 2012 light brown.  There is at least 200,000 km2 of ice to be gone come September/October minima.The current lag with 2012 is about 200K.  

   Record extent drops are primed North of Alaska,  July 22 to 25 JAXA loop suggests at least 200,000 km2 ready to vanish quite soon. 

   Chukchi sea rapid melting is partially masked by counterclockwise flow of sea ice doomed by very warm sea water next to Wrangle Island,  we note to the right,  East Siberian sea rapidly opening up,    not being replenished by Laptev Sea already widely ice free, East Siberian should have very swift drop in extent within next few days. WD July 26,2018

Bering sea black melt potential

~2018 slow start melt season picks up not only speed but darkness
           

   From AMSR2 JAXA daily extent melt numbers July 21-22-23-24 in km2/day:

2012         2013        2014        2015         2016       2017       2018

-58703    -58133    -28828    -139308   -111030   -96509   -133995 

-51872  -106572   -50552   -107064      -55089    -93661   -139657 

-62907  -116820   -78800   -113552      -46065    -41377   -118268 

-102879  -71755   -28430   -100037     -59703      -9685   -124573

  2018 has a staggering dominating melt pace; 

At the moment, the most significant difference between 2012 and 18 melt can be seen just North of
Alaska, whereas the ice flows clockwise and counterclockwise respectively, the difference being
extensive over a long period of time warmed Bering sea waters in 18 compared to 2012 Beaufort newly exposed sea surface:

We look for "Goodbye Waves" which are pre total melting of ice over a sea surface, 2012 Beaufort sea had then very few, mainly because of sea ice drift movement dominating an apparent melting, while same date 2018: Multiple Goodbye Waves signify rapid melting is occurring very likely from much warmed sea surface WD July 24 2018

Beaufort area monster melting at present

~Sudden melting from long in duration rapid movement  of crushed sea ice with multiple leads warmed by sun rays

Last 3 days ending July 22 2018 JAXA extent depiction nothing short of  amazing,  despite partial cloudy conditions extremely fast melting is occurring easily more than 100,000 km2 in a day in this area alone.  As we can see,  with sea ice moving opposite to normal Gyre current. 

Coming with the counter clockwise gyre current is this CMC depicted +9 C sea water,  certain demise for any piece of ice. 

   And ECMWF July 27 forecast runs this water strait towards the main surviving pack.  WD July 23,2018

2012 vs 2018 on three fronts, circulation dominates, 2018 is slushier

The most interesting area is Beaufort to Bering sea:

 July 4 to 20 2012,  there was more open water over Beaufort because the Gyre circulation was largely unaffected by cyclones till August.  Note the ice pans maintaining about 100 km in diameter,  moving clockwise.

Absent Beaufort area 2018 sea ice morphology is largely similar to 2012 same period of days.  Except the circulation is counterclockwise and the majority of  surviving sea ice pans are smaller at about 50 km in diameter,  observe the slushier aspect of the ice as well,  pulverized by greater motion amongst significant open water.

 The Atlantic front difference is fascinating as well,

Atlantic Front July 17 2012,  note the ice shoreline hugging Franz Josef and Svalbard Islands,  

There is at present about a 250 km retreat towards the Pole for the entire Atlantic Front.   

 Chukchi and East Siberian seas has equally a vast difference:

2012 2017 and 2018 July 20 animation ,  2012 is the one with most sea ice,  we note 2018 incredibly warm Bering sea at some points +10 C hot.  And also the counterclockwise flow of sea ice ice right into this warmed sea.  It is a new Fram Strait by virtue of a warmer winter with no sea ice.  WD July 21 2018

2018 vs 2012 what is the difference ? about 200,000 km2 in extent

~Because Hudson and Baffin Bay + Kara sea still have not melted completely

     Kara had a late freeze up South of Novaya Zemlya  in 2018,  but still has some sea ice,  while 2012 close to 0 one day later (selected due to clouds).

Hudson + Baffin Bay with still lots of sea ice compared to 2012,  meaning the large difference is in Beaufort sea,  which as we know,  is flooded still with a continuous stream of sea ice.  WD July 19 2018