Melting sea ice reveals a striking gradient of colors across the East Siberian Sea, one of the Arctic's least studied and most remote waters. Its harsh climate keeps flora and fauna relatively scarce, but nutrients from the Kolyma and Indigirka Rivers, along with eroding coastlines, still spark a short, intense summer plankton bloom, producing roughly 5 million tonnes of plankton in just a few months. Remote and rarely seen, this Arctic sea gets just a brief summer burst of life before the ice takes over again, a fleeting, fragile bloom in one of the planet's quietest corners.
This image was captured by the OCI sensor onboard the PACE satellite on July 23, 2026.
- Wikipedia - East Siberian Sea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Siberian_Sea
- Wikipedia - Kolyma River: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolyma_River
- Wikipedia - Indigirka River: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigirka_River
- Wikipedia - Permafrost: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permafrost
|
