Changes in sea ice
Sea ice is declining rapidly in the Canadian Arctic due to climate change. This trend is projected to continue in the future.
Sea ice concepts
Sea ice is an important feature in the Canadian Arctic. It includes:
- first-year ice that grows and melts each year
- multi-year ice that remains present year-round
Sea ice can be measured in many ways, such as sea ice area. Sea ice area is the area covered by sea ice, measured in square kilometres (km2).
Sea ice area can be compared with a reference period to help measure the
Long description and data source
A graph showing the trend of decreasing sea ice area in Canada’s Arctic waters at an average rate of about 7% per decade since 1968.
Trend in sea ice area data was produced by Environment and Climate Change Canada, Climate Research Division, and presented in Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI): Sea Ice in Canada.
Patterns of sea ice change in Canada
Sea ice in the Canadian Arctic is decreasing rapidly. Between 1968 and 2015, the summer sea ice area in northern Canadian waters decreased by nearly 7% per decade on average.
Sea ice area is projected to continue decreasing due to climate change. Arctic waters could be nearly ice-free in summer by the 2050s. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago region will be one of the last areas where thick multi-year ice will be present in the Arctic during the summer.
Find sea ice data in the library of climate resources.
Impacts of sea ice change
Decreasing sea ice has a direct impact on the livelihoods and health of Indigenous peoples and northern communities in Canada. For example, it makes travel across sea ice less predictable and more dangerous, which can reduce access to traditional hunting and harvesting activities.
Decreasing sea ice is also leading to shorelines being more exposed to waves and storm surges, and more prone to erosion and flooding. These same changes impact ocean mammals and hunting practices.
Reduced sea ice is increasing opportunities for shipping, tourism, resource exploration and industrial activities in the North. However, these activities bring new risks of accidents and spills under harsher conditions, including floating ice, changing sea ice cover and extreme weather. These factors can put people and ecosystems at risk and place additional stress on limited search and rescue, and disaster response capacity.
Adapting to sea ice change
New technologies are being used to share information on sea ice thickness to reduce safety risks. For example, SmartICE is a community-based system for gathering and sharing observations and local knowledge of sea ice thickness and other surface features.
Industries, such as mining, are also exploring opportunities to take advantage of shorter shipping routes and longer shipping seasons due to reduced sea ice cover.
Related links
More resources from the Canadian Centre for Climate Services
Library of climate resources: links to datasets, tools, guidance and related resources
Climate information basics: climate change concepts, trends and role of climate information in decision-making
Climate Services Support Desk: 1-833-517-0376; get help from our climate experts to find, understand and use climate information
Display and download climate data: view selected climate datasets on maps or download dataSources
- Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2016. Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Sea Ice in Canada.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2017. Ice forecasts and observations. Government of Canada. [Online] April 2017.
- Government of Canada. 2016. Canada's Marine Coasts in a Changing Climate. Government of Canada. [Online] 2016.
- NAIN Research Centre. 2018. SmartIce. [Online] 2018.
- Warren, F. J, and Lemmen, D. S. 2014. Canada in a Changing Climate: Sector Perspectives on Impacts and Adaptation. Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada.