October 21 shots, with vertical diameters of 30.1 arc minutes at 1.5 and 1.2 degrees elevation, Pretty much as expanded as can get, surely an Arctic record. This came as fall measurements, not frequently done because of increased moisture clashing with lesser solar radiation, started with normal vertical diameters, then a mid October warming caused this anomaly. Entirely due to record low sea ice extent and re-injection of heat from the record warmest Arctic Ocean to the lower atmosphere.
These captures also indicated the viable existence of anomalous atmospheric warm spots,
not mixed yet with the overall wider encompassing likely cooling Autumn air. A rather infrequent observation while monitoring sun disk diameters. The more expanded the vertical disk the warmer the air, in fact its the most accurate measure of total atmospheric temperatures I know about. 2020 sea ice extent minima narrowly missed beating 2012. But the current nature of remaining sea ice is overall thinner, therefore 2020 at this time is lowest extent in history. A true indicator of unrelenting further melting in the cards. The implications lesser se ice are felt throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the physics of which will be explained in subsequent article. WD October 25 2020
