Infographic: Sea Ice Loss

Infographic: Less Sea Ice

Seals sitting on shrinking sea ice and a blue whale in the water underneath. A small box to the right has a small map of the Canadian Atlantic region.

For the past decade, ice volumes on the Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Scotian Shelf have generally been lower than normal. Many recent years had record-low values.

Volume of sea ice is decreasing.

2011

Record-low volume on the Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves

2010

Record-low volume in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

• Sea ice loss may change the distribution and behaviour of seals and whales that depend on ice
• Seals may have to move north or on land to pup as ice melts
• Less sea ice may reduce the number of Blue Whales being trapped in heavy ice near shore