The ice in Arctic Bay (the body of water) broke up on Sunday, about five days ahead of schedule. Arctic Bay is the first area around to break up during the year. A couple of interrelated factors make it so. First of all we are in a bit of a solar oven here, as I’ve mentioned before. This area warms up a little quicker in the spring than the surrounding area. The biggest factor though is there is more water on the ice here earlier then outside the bay. Again that is because of the solar oven. It is the biggest factor as water on the ice is the big engine driving break up. The water acts as a lens on the ice causing more melting, eventually fracturing the ice into large floes. The water also tends to hang around longer as there are few cracks in Arctic Bay itself, mostly just at the mouth of it. Strangely enough having more cracks in the ice translates into the ice sticking around longer, because the water stays on the surface.
The Norwegian Ship Jotun Arctic 
is probably glad to be free of the ice once again. Although I imagine that she was bounced around quite abit (and will be for awhile longer) in the pack. It is opening up some what now but the last couple of days consisted mostly of pack moving around the bay. Knute and Camilla have probably had a couple of sleepless days. I’ll have to give them a call on the Marine VHS and see how they are making out.
Now to most people, the breaking up of the ice would seem to herald the arrival of summer but I found that local people seem to view the event differently. My first full summer here, the summer of 2000 I merrily watched the breakup, snug in the fact that now summer had at last arrived. Later that day I commented to a friend from here about the ice finally breaking up. His reply? "Yes, winter’s just around the corner."