Images
February 9, 2026 - Ice on the St. Lawrence River
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Frigid winter temperatures brought a cover of sea ice over the northern portion of Canada’s St. Lawrence River in early February 2026.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the region on February 3. At that time, consolidated first-year ice (which appears bright white) clung to the southern shores of the St. Lawrence River. Newer ice, referred to as grey ice and grey-white ice, bridged the river to reach the northern shore in several locations.
This year’s ice in the upper St. Lawrence River appears to be the highest for the first week of February since 2022, according to comparing Aqua MODIS images between 2022-2026. The images acquired in 2023, 2024, and 2025 show little ice formation in this area in early February.
The widespread ice this year should be good news for the Atlantic Harp Seal, which breeds on ice on portions of the St. Lawrence River. Exceptionally warm winters in recent years have hampered reproduction in this species due to thin and unreliable ice cover. Young seal pups are unable to swim and require several weeks of firm ice in order to survive.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/3/2026
Resolutions:
1km (115.6 KB), 500m (315.9 KB), 250m (428.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Frigid winter temperatures brought a cover of sea ice over the northern portion of Canada’s St. Lawrence River in early February 2026.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the region on February 3. At that time, consolidated first-year ice (which appears bright white) clung to the southern shores of the St. Lawrence River. Newer ice, referred to as grey ice and grey-white ice, bridged the river to reach the northern shore in several locations.
This year’s ice in the upper St. Lawrence River appears to be the highest for the first week of February since 2022, according to comparing Aqua MODIS images between 2022-2026. The images acquired in 2023, 2024, and 2025 show little ice formation in this area in early February.
The widespread ice this year should be good news for the Atlantic Harp Seal, which breeds on ice on portions of the St. Lawrence River. Exceptionally warm winters in recent years have hampered reproduction in this species due to thin and unreliable ice cover. Young seal pups are unable to swim and require several weeks of firm ice in order to survive.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/3/2026
Resolutions:
1km (115.6 KB), 500m (315.9 KB), 250m (428.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
