Dr. Susan Crockford,
The Davis Strait ice is slowly moving south this year as is shoreline growing in situ along the Labrador coast, similar to last year. East coast harp seals calving in the area in March depends on this ice, and so do many polar bears in Davis Strait, which feed on those newborn seals. In contrast, in 2017 the ice cover off Labrador was wider than in mid-January (even more so in mid-February) and that seems to have made a big difference in April, when the ice north of Newfoundland thick and wide.
Compared to last year at this time, the amount of ice along the Labrador coast is somewhat less, but the difference is really negligible. By April, the amount of ice was below average, especially in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and had several polar bear sightings along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland.
At the same time back in 2017 (below), the ice sheet along the southern Labrador coast was much wider, indicating more ice movement in Davis Strait from the north. This leads to lots of polar bear sightings in Newfoundland and Labrador in March and April that I can hardly continue to report them (Crockford 2019:32):
However, East Coast conditions could change dramatically over the next few weeks, especially if conditions bring more northerly winds.
Presenter
Crockford, SJ 2019. Polar Bear Status Report 2018. Global Warming Policy Organization Report 32, London. PDF here.
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