The Baltic Sea has experienced its largest ice cover in over ten years, reaching up to 144,000 square kilometers, as contrasted with a two-decade average of only 80,000 square kilometers during this time.
In early February, the Baltic Sea has reported its most extensive ice coverage in over a decade, with a surface area recently reaching 144,000 square kilometers. This significant ice extent is notable given that the average ice coverage in the past twenty years around the same period has been about 80,000 square kilometers. The increase in ice is attributed to a series of cold winters, with the last seven out of ten winters having shown milder conditions, starkly contrasting the current frosty situation.
According to Aleksi Arola, an ice expert from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, while this winter appears to have reached an average ice extent, the thickness of the ice is significantly greater than usual. In the archipelago of the Gulf of Finland, the ice thickness ranges from 10 to 40 centimeters, exceeding the typical thickness of 5 to 20 centimeters. This unusual thickness is a result of the colder weather experienced in January and February, contributing to a stronger, more resilient ice cover in the region.
Furthermore, Arola reports that about five kilometers southward in the archipelago of Helsinki and Espoo, there is substantial solid ice. The implications of this increase in ice extent and thickness could affect maritime activities, local ecosystems, and weather patterns in the Baltic Sea region, suggesting a need for monitoring these changes closely as the season progresses.
