See also:

Spring break-up at Old Crow
 
Peel River Ice Bridge

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• This graph shows that during the last 14 years the average date of spring break-up has been about May 27. The earliest date was May 19th and the latest date was June 5th. There is no obvious pattern in this short term record. The date of break-up in 2011 was May 26th.

Why is it happening?

• The timing of spring break-up is related to weather conditions in the river basin and should reflect long term changes in climate.

Why is it important?

• The date of spring break-up provides useful information of how weather conditions can vary between years in a particular watershed. Temperatures and snow depth both influence the thickness of ice cover while the timing of warm weather in spring affects the timing of break-up.
• The timing of break-up affects travel (by people and animals) along river corridors.

Technical Notes

• The data presented here were obtained from Dean McLeod at the Hamlet of Aklavik. The Hamlet has begun organizing a community ice pool each spring to guess the date and time when a marker fixed offshore on the ice will move down river past an observation marker (about 1/3 km down river near the "Point").