New Arctic cyclone north of Greenland, August 19, 2012

UPDAT: Aug. 20 -- the cyclone is dissipating and the center has moved to a location in the Fram Strait.

The photos are updated every few hours here:

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/data/satellite/hrpt_dfo_ir_100.jpg

Here is the 36-h outlook:

http://weather.unisys.com/gfsx/gfsx.php?inv=0&plot=hght&region=nh&t=36h

The sea ice flows out a lot faster than it did back in 2007. Just about anything is going to flush it out into the North Atlantic if the wind blows in the right direction.

The way the cyclone sits just now, it looks like it will blow it from west to east along northern Greenland, which is already its natural direction.

Neven has ice drift map here:

http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/hycomARC/navo/arcticicespddrf/nowcast/icespddrf2012081818_2012081600_035_arcticicespddrf.001.gif

CryoSat-2 shows that the thickness in that area is just about as pitiful as it gets. UPDATE: this is modelled output, not data from CryoSat-2 apparently:

https://dddeb0d3-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/apocalypse4realseaice2012/home/sea-ice-concentration-and-thickness-comparison/Ice%20Thickness%20081812.jpg

MODIS image of the sea ice in that area:  http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=crefl1_143.A2012232162000-2012232162500.250m.jpg