A 1986 survey of Canadian ice shelves found that , involving  of ice, calved from the Milne and Ayles ice shelves between 1959 and 1974. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest remaining section of thick (greater than ) landfast sea ice along the northern coastline of Ellesmere Island, lost  of ice in a massive calving in 1961–1962. It further decreased by 27% in thickness (13 m, 43 ft) between 1967 and 1999.
In 1986, a survey of Canadian ice shelves found that a substantial volume of ice calved from the Milne and Ayles ice shelves between 1959 and 1974. The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest remaining thick (greater than ) landfast sea ice section along Ellesmere Island's northern coast, experienced a massive calving event in 1961–1962, losing a portion of its ice. It further decreased by 27% in thickness (13 m, 43 ft) between 1967 and 1999.