All findings · Arctic Open-Water Window
How many days a year is Bering Strait typically open in the release package?
A typical year at Bering Strait has 173 open days
Over 45 full seasons (1979 to 2025), Bering Strait had a median of 173 open days at the 15 percent cutoff (range 118 to 234).
These numbers are Arctic Open-Water Window version 1.1, the published package (15 gates in version 1.1).
Chart
From the table
Reading
What the data shows
The gate_trends row for bering-strait at threshold 15 reports median_open_days 173.0 over 45 seasons (2 excluded). Across non-blank open_days_15 values in gate_seasons, the range is 118 to 234.
Context
Why it matters
If you need a typical year from this package, quote the median. It is the baseline for comparing a single year to the release Bering Strait record at the 15 percent cutoff.
Method
How it was measured
The median and the season count are the gate_trends row for bering-strait at threshold 15. The minimum and the maximum are the non-blank open_days_15 values. The row excludes 2 seasons. The years run from 1979 through 2025. Method on the dataset page.
Limits
What this cannot tell you
Polygon average concentration, not ice thickness or a ship route. The 15 percent cutoff is the strictest of the three. Provisional near-real-time days can change. Early-decade means skip seasons with blank open_days_15. Disclaimer word for word: Not for navigation. Use at your own risk. Provided as is, without warranty of any kind.
Check
Check it yourself
- File
arctic/gate_trends.csv- Column
median_open_days- Row
gate_id bering-strait, threshold 15, n_seasons 45, n_excluded 2- API and assistant
- Same key, same data
This API call reads the same cells.
curl "https://api.heimdallresearch.com/v1/arctic/gates/bering-strait/seasons" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HEIMDALL_API_KEY"This assistant prompt asks for the same cells.
MCP https://api.heimdallresearch.com/mcp question: What are median_open_days, n_seasons, min_open_days, and max_open_days for bering-strait at threshold 15?Citation
Dataset citation
Heimdall Research (2026). Arctic Open-Water Window (Version 1.1) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23147722 Concept DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23021977. New version of https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23021978.
- Version
- 1.1
- DOI
- 10.5281/zenodo.23147722
Related
Related findings
-
Barrow Strait, Canada: 11 open days a year in 1979-1988, 51 in 2016-2025.
At Barrow Strait, mean open days at the 15 percent cutoff rose from 11.1 days a year in 1979-1988 to 51.3 days in 2016-2025 (difference +40.2 days).
Breakdown
For nwp-barrow, mean open_days_15 on full seasons with a numeric value is 11.1 in 1979-1988 (n=9) and 51.3 in 2016-2025 (n=10). The difference is +40.2 days.
-
Vilkitsky Strait: 6 open days a year then, 83 now
At Vilkitsky Strait, mean open days at the 15 percent ice cutoff rose from 5.8 days a year in 1979-1988 to 82.6 days in 2016-2025 (difference +76.8 days).
Breakdown
For Vilkitsky Strait (nsr-vilkitsky), the mean of open_days_15 on full seasons with a numeric value is 5.8 in 1979-1988 (n=9) and 82.6 in 2016-2025 (n=10). That is a rise of 76.8 days. Seasons with a blank open_days_15 are skipped. An open day is a day when average sea-ice concentration inside the gate polygon sits below the 15 percent cutoff.
-
Vilkitsky Strait stayed shut in 8 early years. It opened every year from 2016 through 2025.
Vilkitsky Strait had 8 seasons with zero open days in 1979-1988 and 0 such seasons in 2016-2025.
Breakdown
In 1979-1988, 8 full seasons at nsr-vilkitsky have open_days_15 equal to zero. In 2016-2025, that count is 0. Blank open_days values are not counted as zero.
Not for navigation. Use at your own risk. Provided as is, without warranty of any kind.
Provided as is, without warranty of any kind.