The Barnes Ice Cap, located on Baffin Island in Canada, is a remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from the last ice age. Historically, the ice cap has been covered in snow that slowly melts back in the summer. By mid-July 2026, however, the ice cap was essentially snow-free earlier and faster than previously recorded in the satellite record.
Without bright snow cover, the ice and rock below absorb more sunlight and heat, causing the ice cap to melt faster. The image comparison above shows the difference in snow and ice cover between June 16 (left) and August 11, 2026 (right). The images were acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra platform.
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