Gulf of Saint Lawrence on pace for record lack of ice
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Northumberland Strait is coming up on a record year for a lack of sea ice.
Back in 2021, about two per cent of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence was covered in sea ice, that was a record low, but this year there’s even less.
"Half of that. We probably moved up to about two per cent with the little bit of new ice that formed before you got this little rainstorm,” said George Karaganis Canadian Ice Service Meteorologist.
"I expect, it’s new ice, it’s very thin, if the rain didn’t destroy it the winds behind this, for the next couple of days, will destroy it."
The little bit of sea ice you can see here on the Northumberland Strait is nothing compared to years past.
More than 30-years-ago, there’d often be winters where the entire island was surrounded by sea ice.
However, the ice conditions in the Gulf and Strait have fallen dramatically since 1995.
"A normal ice year would be substantially more ice than now, and every now and then you have a lower year and every now and then you have a higher year," said Karaganis. "After about ‘95, ‘96 those types of years are very rare."
Sea temperatures are higher than average this year, which slows the formation of ice.
It’s a bit of a self reinforcing cycle, where less ice leads to higher temperatures which leads to less ice.
Ice that forms now probably won’t have time to become that solid grey-white, six inch to a foot thick, ice Prince Edward Island sees some years.
“For sure not as thick,” said Karaganis. “Forming later, and then it looks like spring comes sooner, so we’re not going to have heavy ice this year.”
So it appears less sea ice in the Gulf and Strait is the new normal, and experts say the lack of a layer of ice protecting the coastline could contribute to accelerated erosion on the island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.