Stefan Hendricks

It is truly the last look at the CryoSat-2/SMOS (CS2SMOS). In October we will continue with CryoSat-2/Sentinel-3/SMOS (CS3SMOS) in the #Arctic. CS3SMOS will also be generated for #Antarctic #seaice.

The @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social and @wmo-global.bsky.social European State of the Climate Report is launched today

🌐 more than 40 datasets
👩‍🔬 over 100 scientists
🗺️ > 130 charts and graphics

Check it out: climate.copernicus.eu/ESOTC

🌏🌡️🧪⚒️🌊🛰️

Map of German draught monitor showing "exceptional draught" in all over northern germany

Urgh, that looks unpleasant. I could well use some of this water here. Our garden is already in need of watering since March due to "exceptional draught"

map: UFZ Drought Monitor / Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

Happy launch day anniversary 🥳

Btw, any chance that @esa_cryosat moves over here?

🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

Line graph showing the daily sea-ice extent for the Arctic from 1978 to the present time in 2025. 2025 is shown in the thick black line to the left, while the previous years are presented in plasma colormap with the earliest years in purple and most recent years in yellow'ish. Since January 27th, the normal winter increase in sea-ice extent has completely stopped. Arctic ice extent is now record low and significantly lower than previous years. Data source is the OSI SAF sea-ice index v2.2.

The full stop of the increasing winter sea-ice extent in the Arctic has now lasted for two weeks...

🌊⚒️🧪🥼❄️

Smoother sea ice with fewer pressure ridges in a more dynamic Arctic Nature Climate Change - Pressure ridges, a characteristic feature of Arctic sea ice, play an important role in the ecosystem but pose challenges to shipping. Here the authors use aircraft...

Sea ice paper alert, congratulations to my colleagues!

Krumpen, T., von Albedyll, L., Bünger, H.J. et al. Smoother sea ice with fewer pressure ridges in a more dynamic Arctic. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#Arctic #climate 🌊 🥼❄️
rdcu.be/d5rtv

I could go on and on with this. There are so many logistical challenges that I don't think this project will ever be applied on the large scale in the central Arctic. I only see possibilities for to apply this locally, e.g. strengthen regions where sea ice is used for travelling.

The test on landfast sea ice is also wildy optimistic. Actual drift ice has a lot more topography, and the affected area will be smaller. They will also loose a lot of these pumps due to sea ice deformation.

This reseeding will also be needed mostly in the Russian exclusive economic zone. Anyone thinks it is likely that there will be a permission to visit this area with > 100000 autonomous vehicles every year?

The entire concept seems to be completely oblivous of the fact that sea ice does not stay in one place. A good portion of it ends up in the North Atlantic where it will melt no matter how thick it is. This means constant reseeding of 100`000s of square kilometers within months only.

Line graph showing the daily sea-ice extent for the Arctic for the period 1978 to 2024. 2024 is shown in black while the previous years are shown in decadal-grouped colors. Most recent observations from December 2024 show record-low ice extent for this time of the year. Data source is the OSI SAF sea-ice index v2.2.

Sea-ice extent in the Arctic just took a sharp turn and is now located in "record-low for this date" region 📉
🌊🧪⚒️

Newly created starter pack for Polar Oceanography 🌊❄️

My follow list is far from complete, so let me know if I have missed you/someone else you think should be included!

go.bsky.app/851nQgx

North pole view of Arctic sea ice thickness from March 8–15 2024, measured by SMOS & Cryosat-2. Thickness ranges from 0.04 (light green) to 4 meters thick (dark blue). The thickest ice is concentrated along the coast of Arctic Canada and Greenland.

North pole view of Arctic sea ice thickness from March 8–15 2024, measured by SMOS & Cryosat-2. Thickness ranges from 0.04 (dark blue) to 4 meters thick (light green). The thickest ice is concentrated along the coast of Arctic Canada and Greenland.

Light or dark mode?

CryoSat-2/SMOS merged Arctic sea ice volume graph on November 15th 2024

CryoSat-2/SMOS merged Arctic sea ice thickness map on November 15th 2024

Here's our mid month update on #CryoSat2/#SMOS merged #Arctic #SeaIce thickness and volume:

greatwhitecon.info/2024/11/fact...

They now exist.

Marine biogeochemistry
go.bsky.app/TK79r4w

Polar ocean
go.bsky.app/851nQgx

Physical oceanography
go.bsky.app/Eb6xX19

Sea level and coastal erosion
go.bsky.app/B6spBdu

Find your #remotesensing buddies here 💓
go.bsky.app/4PMRhNL

Some good news: The Advisory Committee for Earth Observation (ACEO) has recommended extending the SMOS mission until the end of 2028, alongside CryoSat-2 and SWARM. ❄️🧊🛰️

Just started a starter feed listing Arctic and Antarctic communicators already on Bluesky
...please let me know who else to add & apologies to all I've missed - just let me know and I'll sort it

go.bsky.app/7RL1i9C

Welcome
@berkeleylabemp.bsky.social
@miamirosenstiel.bsky.social
@miamiresilience.bsky.social
@climatereefs.bsky.social
@ficlima.bsky.social
to my starter pack of research organizations, centers and departments that bring folks together to tackle climate.

Click here to follow some or all:

Two polar stereographic maps showing Arctic sea ice thickness from CryoSat-2/SMOS and the difference relative to the previous year (October 2023). Ice is thinner than last year toward Greenland.

A first look at the CryoSat-2/SMOS merged product for #Arctic sea ice thickness this fall. Now looking after the melt season, we see thinner ice north of Greenland relative to last year and thicker in the Central Arctic.

This graphic will now be updated weekly at zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i... 🌊⚒️

I can see very localized benefit where sea ice is used for transportation etc. But "saving sea ice" requires deploying millions of these pumps every winter for decades mainly in the Russian exclusive economic zone. Nothing but a pipe dream.

Four polar stereographic maps showing Arctic sea ice thickness for the month of December in 1983-1992, 1993-2002, 2003-2012, and 2013-2022. Thickness is shown with colors from black at 0 meters to purple at 2.5 meters to white at 5.0 meters. Sea ice in thinning in all regions over time.

The disappearance of thicker Arctic sea ice by decade in December... 🧊📉

More info on data: climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...

Life beyond the leak for ESA’s CryoSat

And with this good news for CryoSat-2 (and the SMOS mission extension) to many more years!

www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...

New version v206 of the SMOS-CryoSat level 4 sea ice thickness product is now available - Earth Onli... The new version 206 of the merged SMOS-CryoSat level 4 sea ice thickness product is now available on the SMOS data dissemination service.

We have released the next version 206 of the SMOS/CryoSat-2 L4 (CS2SMOS) sea ice thickness data set spanning 14 years:

earth.esa.int/eogateway/ne...

Map showing the Arctic sea-ice concentration averaged over November 2023. For comparison, the mean November sea-ice extent for the period 1981-2010 is represented by an orange contour. Source data is OSI SAF sea-ice concentration CDR v3.0

The line graph displays the sea-ice extent in the Arctic for the month of November from 1978 to 2023. In 2023, the extent was below average, ranking as the eighth lowest. Data source is the OSI SAF sea-ice index v2.2.

Arctic sea ice in November 2023:
- The extent of Arctic ice for this month is the 8th lowest on record.
- The ice has shifted north in most areas, except in the Greenland Sea where there is an above-average amount of ice for November.
🧪⚒️

Map showing the Antarctic sea-ice concentration averaged over November 2023. For comparison, the mean November sea-ice extent for the period 1981-2010 is represented by an orange contour. Source data is OSI SAF sea-ice concentration CDR v3.0

Line graph showing the daily sea-ice extent for the Antarctic for the period 1978 to 2023. 2023 is shown in black while the previous years are shown in decadal-grouped colors. Data source is the OSI SAF sea-ice index v2.2.

What a winter season in the Antarctic!

For November 2023, the ice extent was "only" second-lowest on record.
Ice is missing especially in the Ross and Weddell Sea.

⚒️🧪

Artist's impression of the CRISTAL satellite orbiting Earth

At ESA ESTEC for the CRISTAL Mission Advisory Group meeting. The first flight model parts are already being made! We are still looking at a launch date in 2027!

(Image: ESA)

Time series of monthly mean Antarctic sea ice extent anomalies for all October months from 1979 to 2023. The anomalies are expressed as a percentage of the October average for the period 1981-2010. Data source: EUMETSAT OSI SAF Sea Ice Index v2.2. Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF/EUMETSAT.

"For the sixth consecutive month and the eighth month in 2023 (after January, February, and May–September), Antarctic sea ice extent reached record low levels for the time of year."

👉https://climate.copernicus.eu/sea-ice-cover-october-2023
🧪⚒️

Exceptional October temperatures! 

The anomaly for October 2023 is

the second largest anomaly (after September 2023)

of any month

of any year

in the ERA dataset (back to 1940)

Making it virtually certain that 2023 will be the warmest year on record

More: climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-o...