Images
August 31, 2025 - A Summertime View of Iceland
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In contrast to the icy-white blanket that covers Iceland in winter, warm summer temperatures reveal the country’s green vegetation and tan tones. Glaciers and ice caps make up roughly 10 percent of Iceland and, although they are shrinking as temperatures warm, they still dominate even summertime satellite images of the country.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of late summer in Iceland on August 20, 2025.
Several icecaps and glaciers are prominent in this image. The largest ice cap, Vatnajökull, is located near the southeast coast. It is edged with numerous glaciers and tongues, some of which are named. One famous glacier is Öræfajökull glacier, where the highest peak of Iceland can be found. Like all the other icecaps visible in this image, the center of Vatnajökull is bright white, indicating solid ice, but the edges appear gray. This indicates waterlogged ice typical of ice melt.
Two smaller ice caps Langjökull and Hofsjökull are found in the central highlands, and the smallest ice cap, Mýrdalsjökull, sits near the southern coast. Iceland’s sixth-largest glacier, Eyjafjallajökull is located very near Mýrdalsjökull. Active volcanic systems underly all of these ice caps—and the combination gives the country its nickname of “The Land of Fire and Ice”.
The long, forked, and bright white projections that cover the top of the island are neither ice nor glacier. It is low cloud (fog) that stretches over the northern coast and stretches into mountain valleys.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/20/2025
Resolutions:
1km (117 KB), 500m (344.4 KB), 250m (736.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
In contrast to the icy-white blanket that covers Iceland in winter, warm summer temperatures reveal the country’s green vegetation and tan tones. Glaciers and ice caps make up roughly 10 percent of Iceland and, although they are shrinking as temperatures warm, they still dominate even summertime satellite images of the country.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of late summer in Iceland on August 20, 2025.
Several icecaps and glaciers are prominent in this image. The largest ice cap, Vatnajökull, is located near the southeast coast. It is edged with numerous glaciers and tongues, some of which are named. One famous glacier is Öræfajökull glacier, where the highest peak of Iceland can be found. Like all the other icecaps visible in this image, the center of Vatnajökull is bright white, indicating solid ice, but the edges appear gray. This indicates waterlogged ice typical of ice melt.
Two smaller ice caps Langjökull and Hofsjökull are found in the central highlands, and the smallest ice cap, Mýrdalsjökull, sits near the southern coast. Iceland’s sixth-largest glacier, Eyjafjallajökull is located very near Mýrdalsjökull. Active volcanic systems underly all of these ice caps—and the combination gives the country its nickname of “The Land of Fire and Ice”.
The long, forked, and bright white projections that cover the top of the island are neither ice nor glacier. It is low cloud (fog) that stretches over the northern coast and stretches into mountain valleys.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/20/2025
Resolutions:
1km (117 KB), 500m (344.4 KB), 250m (736.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
