Novaya Zemlya, Northern Russia

Spring is late in coming to northern Russia. On April 15, 2004, the Russian island on Novaya Zemlya was completely covered with snow and ice. Its eastern shores are only faintly visible as a light gray line against the field of sea ice that covers the Kara Sea. The black open waters of the Barents Sea stretch to the island’s west. To its south, mainland Russia also appears to be coated with a thick layer of snow. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image.

Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC