Arctic Sea Ice and Anuri Update
The air is crisp, temperatures are falling, and the mighty ice of the Arctic Ocean is prepared to expand. As the days grow shorter, life in the great north is readying itself once again for the return of winter.
(View of Hudson Bay near Churchill, MB)
At this time in 2012, per the National Snow and Ice Data Center, we were experiencing a record minimum of Arctic Sea Ice Extent (area of ocean with at least 15% sea ice), with just 5.381 million square kilometers. Compared to the 1981-2010 Median of 8.423 million sq km, this was a concerning figure.
In the last three years however, we have seen an increase in Arctic Sea Ice Extent for this time of year. Reports on October 16th the past three years have yielded the following results: 5.381m sq km (2024), 5.963m sq km (2025), and 6.625m sq km (2026).
While any improvement is a welcome one, Arctic Sea Ice Extent has fluctuated over the past ten years with its lowest of 5.166m sq km registering in 2020. As of October 16th, data for 2026 is hovering right beside the data from 2017 of the same date.
(Arctic Ice Field)
Unfortunately, in 2017, Arctic Sea Ice Extent did dip below the historically poor year of 2012 at times (January-June and the last few days of December). To put the data in perspective however, 2017 Arctic Sea Ice Extent fluctuated more consistently between 4.665m sq km on September 13th and 14th and 14.406m sq km on March 7th as opposed to the 2012 data.
The 2012 Arctic Sea Ice data shows a much more extreme disparity between its height of 15.294m sq km on March 20th (right near the 15.474m sq km 1981-2010 median) before plunging to just 4.665m sq km for two days in September.
While it remains to be seen how the data will be reported in the coming months, the challenge of survival persists nonetheless for Anuri, a female polar bear tracked by Polar Bears International. Now in her 27th year, Anuri is wandering the western coast below Cape Churchill in Wapusk National Park.
(Area B of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement can be seen off the East Coast of Hudson Bay. This collection of islands are property of the Inuit in agreement with His Majesty the King in right of Canada.)
A seasoned bear and currently on her own, Anuri has traveled far and wide across Hudson Bay. She has traveled to the very center of Hudson Bay, southeast to Area B of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, and as far west as a few miles directly north of Churchill, MB: The Polar Bear Capitol of the World.
As winter draws near, we at The Arctic Post wish her the best and look forward to tracking her movements.
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