An analysis of the Sea Ice Concentration (SIC), Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and winds in Research Blocks (RBs) 48.6_5 and 48.6_4 is presented. The SICs in RB5 and RB4 from Jan to Mar 2025 were the second and the third lowest respectively in the 2018-2025 period.
SST spike in both RB5 and RB4 reverse to a decreasing trend in 2025, after reaching the highest in 2024. This suggests that the warming phase in 2021-2024 may have changed to a cooling phase in 2025. The cooling phase in SST corresponds to an increase in SIC in both RB5 and RB4. In SIC and SST charts, In 15 Jan and Mar 2025 both contour lines (-1.7°C and -1.0°C) of SST in RB5 were located further North compared to those in 2024, which indicates lower SST spatial distribution and higher SIC distribution in 2025. Stronger Southward winds in Jan-Mar 2025 may have contributed to the lower SICs by pushing the ice onshore and in addition, stronger Westward winds in Feb-March in 2025 may have strengthened the onshore ice transport, resulting in earlier sea ice recovery in Mar 2025.
Repeated Accessibility (RA) in RB4 and RB5 was calculated using a SIC threshold of 20 % (the limit of navigability for fishing vessels). The RA analysis presented here, based on SIC maps from 2012 to 2025, shows a lower mean RA in RB5 compared to RB4. In RB4, fishing activities appear to be concentrated in the most accessible areas, whereas this pattern is not observed in RB5.