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_WETline host : cryospheric condition : polynyas and sea ice

from North Open Water Polynya study : NOW :

Polynyas are areas of open water surrounded by sea ice. In the Arctic, polynyas occur in the midst of the thick (>2 m) ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas during 9 or 10 of the 12 months of the year. Polynyas can vary in size from less than a few km2 to immense areas such as the North Water that can spread over 50 000 km2. Some polynyas, such as the North Water, occur at the same time and place each year.

_animations of wetline polynyas
lady ann strait
smith sound

_example : beaufort sea polynya





_animation of arctic ice