Mid-December Polar Bear Habitat Update – Are you enjoying it?

By Polar Bear Science

Dr. Susan Crockford

Compared to last year, polar bear habitat on December 15, 2021 was in the Barents and Bering Seas but in Hudson Bay but nothing for polar bears to worry about.

Here’s what a tape chart looks like.

Global sea ice

2021 at December 15 (12.1 mkm2):

Last year on the same day (11.7 mkm2):

Graphics, 2021 vs last four years (for regions not completely frozen):

Sea ice in Canada

Ice anomaly in Hudson Bay for the week of December 13 (red is less ice than usual):

Hudson Bay development for the week of December 13, 2021:

Compare the above to the ice in Hudson Bay in 2020 at 15 Dec:

Last year’s Hudson Bay anomaly for the week of December 14 (in blue with more ice than usual):

Chukchi and Bering Seas

This year at December 14:

Last year at December 14 (2020):

Barents Sea and Kara

This year at December 15:

Last year at 15 December (2020), also showing low sea levels in the Kara Sea (upper right):