Late freeze-up of sea ice along the shoreline

Unusual weather patterns are pushing the sea ice away from the coast.

Lack of sea ice affects seal hunting.

6-5-13 Risky ice for whaling - Barrow, Alaska, USA

11-4-13 Ice fishing hazardous - Golovin, Alaska, USA

No sea ice alone the northside of the Alaska Peninsula.

1-26-14 Ice disrupts subsistence - Unalakleet, Alaska, USA

The ocean is still open, and have not even begun to freeze yet.

By this time of the year, we usually have 2-3 miles of shore-fast ice that sticks to our beach. We as a village have not done our winter harvest of seals and walrus, and we are worried that we will not be able to bowhead whale hunt.

No Permanent Winter Ice and Early Break Up For Nome

From an average freeze-up to rewarming and a lack of snow. The winter weather is now gone making the river ice unstable enough to go across to the community of Togiak for groceries household goods, bad situation.

No sea ice; hunters say it should not be like this today.

While taking photos this afternoon of the snow ice on various objects near the Native Village of Unalakleet, which was on the approximate order of 4 minutes and with very little wind (playground, grass, powerlines), my hands were cold due to the "wetness" in the air and the ambient air temperature.

We've had so much wind this winter, on the 15th of January, the winds were warm!!!!!!

Residents use drones to show unusual sea ice conditions along the Chukchi coast.

This was the warmest autumn on record for western Alaska. Local observer comments on how lack of sea ice is effecting fish and bird behavior.

When the green water is here, its dangerous to travel straight across the Lagoon to White Mountain. In the past we took the land route, cross on Kitchavik river and on up over land to White Mountain.

Very strong south winds took out all the sea ice and created an ice pile in front of the village.

A warm winter storm leads to sea ice loss and flooding of homes in Western Alaska. "Damage to the foundation of the homes is all I think happened, besides wet clothing and a few things on the floor."

Wales lost shorefast ice early in the season. Ice along the shore has been crushed and broken. This is a very unusual event for Wales as many of our hunters rely on great ice conditions for whale and other sea mammal catch for food.

Warm ocean temperatures are keeping ice thin, which become easily moved by the wind. This ice movement separates commercial and subsistence crabbers from their gear, and have led to the loss of both crabbing and mining gear.

Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.

Local reports on the big storm system hitting northern and western Alaska.

Open water over the ocean creates conditions that lead to hoar frost and rime ice. These conditions impact travel and are expected to become more common as ice forms later in Norton Sound.