St. Lawrence Ice: Earth Image of the Week

Satellite Image of St. Lawrence River Ice Swirls

Snow-covered land and ice-covered waters of the St. Lawrence River are visible in this Aqua satellite image.

Eddies and swirls of ice that collected at the mouth of Canada’s St. Lawrence River in mid-January created hazards to maritime traffic while providing stunning views from space.

When NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the image to the right at midday on January 17, 2010, ice of various thicknesses could be seen dancing on the surface of the waterway between Baie-Comeau and the communities of Matane and Rimouski.

The appearance of the water ranged from almost black to a bright blue-green hue, with the color often indicating the thickness of the ice.

The green tones are where the water was visible through a relatively thin layer of semi-transparent ice.

The thicker ice appears solid white, and is most prevalent along the southern shore of the widening river.

The bright white line visible on the north shore in the enlarged version is Quebec’s snow-covered provincial highway 138.

Around this time last year, a cruise ship that got stuck in the St. Lawrence River ice for 24 hours was eventually freed with the help of a Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker.

Ice breakers are deployed throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway to keep paths open for marine traffic during the coldest months of winter and spring.

Full story and image: NASA