Ocean Color Image Gallery

Summer Melt

An opening in the clouds gives a clear view of Antarctica's Amery, West and Shackleton ice shelves. The West and Shackleton ice shelves are both designated Important Bird Areas because they host colonies of Emperor Penguins.

Numerous icebergs shedding from the ice shelves can be seen in this scene from the OCI sensor, which has a minimum pixel size of 1.2 km. This gives an indication of the size of visible icebergs here. Summer ice melt brings nutrients to the surrounding ocean, feeding phytoplankton, which creates a green hue that is seen in the water.

This image was taken by the OCI sensor aboard PACE on January 15, 2025.