SPACEPHOTOS

Snow and ice recede from the western side of southern Greenland in this image, acquired by the Aqua satellite on August 7, 2004. As summer settles over the Northern Hemisphere, increased temperatures bring a brief growing season to even remote landscapes. But despite the warmer conditions, Greenland’s ice sheet continues to dominate the interior of the huge island. In the higher resolutions of this image, icebergs and chunks of sea ice salt the deep blue waters of the Northern Atlantic, especially in the waters off the island’s western coast. In the fjords, melting ice and snow carry sediments with them, which turn the water shades of tan, green, and turquoise. On the eastern face of Greenland, sea ice gathers like foam along the edge of the island.