W. Hudson Bay Sea Ice Won’t Melt Any Time Soon as Polar Bears Lurk Offshore – Watts Up With That?

From Polar Bear Science

Susan Crockford

A large swath of sea ice is stuck on the west coast of Hudson Bay, holding on despite warm temperatures in mid-July. Its unusual thickness suggests it won’t disappear anytime soon, meaning most polar bears in western Hudson Bay will likely remain offshore for at least a few more weeks.

The dark blue in the “different from normal” chart below shows how unusual this phenomenon is for the northern part of Hudson Bay:

Sea ice thickness

During the week of 15 July 2024, the sea ice in Hudson Bay remained at least 1m thick (medium green) but as thick as 2m in some places (dark green). The thickest ice extended into the Foxe Basin in the north:

Polar Bear on the Ice

Most of the bears tagged by University of Alberta researchers remain on the ice — so far only two have been brought ashore:

As I noted last week, it is increasingly difficult for polar bear experts to ignore the fact that their assumptions about sea ice concentrations and polar bear behavior during the melt season are completely wrong. This year, some polar bears may again be on the ice until August, although in theory, earliest recorded year of separation for Hudson Bay sea ice.