Siberia and Alaska
June 06, 2002
The above image was taken on May 22, 2002 from the MODIS sensor on board the Terra satellite. The image shows the Arctic Ocean (upper left), the Bering Sea (bottom), western Alaska and northeastern Siberia. Most of the Arctic Ocean is still ice covered as of late May, and Siberia and the higher elevation areas of Alaska, such as the Brooks Range (right center), are still covered by snow. Since the Sun is up nearly 24 hours a day now, the snow is quickly disappearing. The bluish areas along portions of the Alaskan coast are shore ice, which has lost its overlying snow. Notice the north to south ice flow separating the Seward Peninsula (US) and the Chukchi Peninsula (Russia). Even thought these two powerful nations are no longer engaged in a "cold war," an icy barrier keeps them apart.