Greenland 08/07/04

MODIS image of Greenland

MODIS true color image (bands 1, 4, 3) of Greenland, 7 August 2004.

Snow and ice recede from the western side of southern Greenland in this true-color Aqua MODIS image from August 7, 2004. As summer settles over then Northern Hemisphere, increased temperatures bring a brief growing season to even remote landscapes. But despite the warmer conditions, Greenland's ice sheet continues to dominate the interior of the huge island.

In the higher resolutions of this image, icebergs and chunks of sea ice salt the deep blue waters of the Northern Atlantic, especially in the waters off the island's western coast. And in the fjords, melting ice and snow carry sediments with them, which turns the water in the fjords shades of tan, green, and turquoise. On the eastern face of Greenland, sea ice gathers like foam along the edge of the island.

Text and image courtesy of NASA's MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.