Nearly <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cloud" title="Cloud">cloud</a>-free view of the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The peninsula and the surrounding islands are rapidly loosing the shield of <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sea_ice" title="Category:Sea ice">sea ice</a> that surrounds them in the <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Winter" title="Winter">winter</a>. Winds are blowing from the west, pushing the sea ice east, towards the lower right corner of the image.
The east-blowing winds (westerly winds) channelled down the mountains, bringing warmer <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Air" title="Category:Air">air</a> to the east side of the peninsula. The remaining sea ice around the James Ross, Seymour, and Snow Hill Islands melted in response. The <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Water" title="Water">water</a>-saturated ice is pale <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Blue" title="Blue">blue</a>.
The MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
2010-11-15
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=47068">NASA Earth Observatory</a>