Images
January 28, 2010 - Ross Sea and Drygalski Ice Tongue
Tweet
Sea ice floats in the Ross Sea in this image, captured by the MODIS on the Terra satellite on January 18, 2010. The Ross Sea is just off the Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. It opens up into the Southern Ocean, and then the Southern Pacific Ocean. This section of Antarctica is south of New Zealand.
The clouds and the sea ice are both white in this image, so it makes it a little bit difficult to distinguish them from each other. The white swirls near the coastline are sea ice. The rectangular sliver of ice protruding into the sea is known as the Drygalski Ice Tongue. It was formed from ice piling up on the David Glacier, and then sliding under its own weight into the ocean. Instead of breaking up, the ice floats, forming a long ice tongue. The David Glacier is on the 1,831-meter-high Mt. Joyce, which is part of the Prince Albert Mountain Range. Like the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, the Himalayas, or the Alps, the Prince Albert Mountains are being shaped by mountain glaciers.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 01/18/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Sea ice floats in the Ross Sea in this image, captured by the MODIS on the Terra satellite on January 18, 2010. The Ross Sea is just off the Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. It opens up into the Southern Ocean, and then the Southern Pacific Ocean. This section of Antarctica is south of New Zealand.
The clouds and the sea ice are both white in this image, so it makes it a little bit difficult to distinguish them from each other. The white swirls near the coastline are sea ice. The rectangular sliver of ice protruding into the sea is known as the Drygalski Ice Tongue. It was formed from ice piling up on the David Glacier, and then sliding under its own weight into the ocean. Instead of breaking up, the ice floats, forming a long ice tongue. The David Glacier is on the 1,831-meter-high Mt. Joyce, which is part of the Prince Albert Mountain Range. Like the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, the Himalayas, or the Alps, the Prince Albert Mountains are being shaped by mountain glaciers.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 01/18/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
