Observation: At about 7:30 PM on Sunday, May 21st 2017, I glanced out the window and saw the ice flow along the shoreline of Unalakleet. I could see that there were various sizes of broken ice inter spaced at various lengths from one another and lined the horizontal line-of-sight. After about 8:30 PM of that same day, I glanced out the window again and noticed that the ice was gone from my horizontal line-of-sight. I then looked toward the shoreline in a southerly direction and noticed a pile of ice situated along the shoreline. This was of note since I heard mention from a long-standing elder that he noticed a change in ice flow direction and speed over the past few years. He mentioned that before he could predict where the ice would be and planned accordingly. Now he says it is harder to predict where it will be due to the fast changes that are occurring. The photos listed are similar to the day of the event.
LEO says: This is another in a series of sea ice change observations from Unalakleet. This observation has been added to the Sea Ice Project that is hosted by the UAF International Arctic Research Center. See attached.
Picture of ice flow off of coast, similar to 05/21/17 sighting 1
Picture of ice flow off of coast, similar to 05/21/17 sighting 2
Picture of ice flow off of coast, similar to 05/21/17 sighting 3