by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Dec 15/97) - There's plenty of room for argument about the cause, but there's no question the sea ice is forming later this year in the Arctic.

The Mackenzie ice road is usually finished by this time, but so far it is not thick enough to do the ice testing that comes before the road is built.

This year's slow freeze has extended the sealing season in many Northern communities. Long past the usual end of the season, hunters in Chesterfield Inlet are still going out daily. In Holman, sealing is usually all but over by the fall, but seals were still being taken at the floe edge last week.

"It's strange, this year" said Chesterfield hunter Andre Tautu. "Normally the inlet freezes over toward the end of November, but it hasn't frozen completely yet."

Tautu said the delay has postponed a Ranger sovereignty patrol to Wager Bay. The Chesterfield Rangers had waited long enough last week, and were going to leave Friday morning.

Because of the slow freeze, they were anticipating having to travel well up the inlet to find solid sledding across.

Though not a hunter himself, Lucassie Ivulu of Igloolik said he has heard from hunters and elders that the floe edge was in its usual place, 17 to 19 kilometres beyond the bay.

"We've had unusually mild weather this winter," said Ivalu on Thursday. He added that changed last week, when the temperature dropped to -33 C, about normal for December.

He said a nearby current -- so strong that male polar bears can't swim against it -- governs the location of the floe edge as much as weather.

Elders recalled winters this warm, but said such conditions are very unusual, reported Ivalu.

The cold grip of winter has also tightened on the High Arctic, but the ice is still behind schedule.

"Last year we were able to go out a little further," said Peter Amarualik, a Resolute hunter. "But because of the warmer climate this year, it's still a little open."

Though Resolute Bay is frozen, the flow extends only a couple of miles out beyond it, said Amarualik.

This may be one of the unusual winters when the ice fails to bridge the gaps between the Cornwallis, Somerset and Prince of Wales islands, Amarualik said.

Thursday was the coldest day yet this winter at -28 C, said airport radio operator Andy Carpenter Jr. It's been only -14 or -15 C the last few weeks and strong blizzards have broken up the ice.

"The ice has been shifting a lot the last few months, and it's not frozen all the way across," said Carpenter. "And I guess it must not be too far from Holman, because they're hunting seals yet."

Bob Stefure of Tuktoyaktuk's Gruben Transport said that this time last year a grader was on the Mackenzie, building the road. Right now, it is not safe enough to support the four-wheel-drive truck used to do radar testing to determine the thickness of the ice.