This website works best with a newer web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported by this website.

Category: Arctic

Mountain wave cloud south of the Brooks Range in Alaska

10-minute Full Disk scan GOES-18 (GOES-West) Infrared and Water Vapor images (above) showed the evolution of a mountain wave cloud south of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska on 01 March 2026. The coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were -61C (darker shades of red).A toggle between GOES-18 Water Vapor and Infrared... Read More

Ice leads in the Beaufort Sea

VIIRS Infrared images from Suomi-NPP and NOAA-21 (above) showed widespread ice leads (brighter shades of cyan) in the Beaufort Sea during the 3-day period from 10-12 February 2026 — with a notable increase in ice leads across the eastern Beaufort Sea.Surface wind stress was the primary influence affecting the motion... Read More

Ice leads in the Chukchi Sea

VIIRS Infrared images from Suomi-NPP and NOAA-21 (above) showed widespread ice leads in the Chukchi Sea during the 3-day period from 06-08 January 2026. A combination of surface wind stress and ocean currents influenced the motion and evolution of these ice leads.Surface analyses (below) showed a tighter pressure gradient across the... Read More

Standing wave south of the Aleutian Islands

GOES-18 True Color imagery during the day on 7 April, above, shows the development of a standing wave downwind of the elevated topography on the Aleutian peninsula between King Salmon and Perryville. (Note also the faint signal of volcanic ash as discussed here) What atmospheric conditions support the development of... Read More