2012 Fracture Event
In March 2012, MODIS thermal infrared imagery from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites captured a large sea ice lead opening event from Point Barrow, Alaska. The relatively warm ocean waters (dark shades) stand out in stark contrast to the cold sea ice pack (light shades). Few clouds, seen as fast-moving whispy bands, obstructed this magnificent scence. The arching lead patterns opens in a matter of days and extends 1000 km offshore - a distance that would take 10 hours to cover driving at highway speeds!