Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired September 20 - 20, 2002 1050 x 1400 379 KB - JPEG
Data acquired September 20 - 20, 2002 2100 x 2800 1 MB Bytes - JPEG
Data acquired September 20 - 20, 2002 4200 x 5600 4 MB - JPEG
This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite shows Greenland (east) and Baffin Island, Canada (west) on September 20, 2002. At top they are separated by Baffin Bay, and at bottom by Davis Strait.
An interesting difference in the pattern of snow cover is apparent in the image. While on Greenland, the end of summer has brought a thaw to the coastal areas, exposing the rugged, rocky ground, on Baffin Island, it is the coast that is snow covered, while the interior is bare. This could be the effects of two distinct ocean currents flwoing through the channel. In the eastern portion of the channel, a warmer current flows north from the North Atlantic along the coast of Greenland. In the western half of the channel, an icy current from the far north flows southward along the Canadian coast. These two opposing currents exert an influence on the respective temperatures and precipitation patterns of each coast, keeping the Baffin Island coast chilled, while thawing the Greenland coast.
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Published October 16, 2002 Data acquired September 20 - 20, 2002