Images
April 17, 2026 - Ice on James Bay
Tweet
Early spring around Hudson Bay in northern Canada is largely indistinguishable from winter. Sea ice still clings to land, and the boggy lowlands remain frozen. This true-color image, acquired on April 15, 2026 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows ice covering most of James Bay, snow and ice covering the surrounding land including Akamiski Island, and numerous frozen channels and rivers that flow into the Bay.
Situated in the southern portion of Hudson Bay, James Bay and the surrounding landscape was polished during the region’s ice age history. During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of present-day Canada. It centered on Hudson Bay, where its immense weight depressed the land. Since the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, the ice has retreated and the land has been bouncing back. Glacial isostatic adjustment, or isostatic rebound, is relatively rapid around southern Hudson Bay; the surface continues to rise about 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) per year, or 1 meter per century.
While winter paints the region white, as warmer days of summer approach, the pale tones of winter will give way to a more colorful palette. Peatlands near the Bay will take on a lush, green appearance, and partially decayed organic matter in the peat will release tannins that stain the water dark brown like a strong tea. Sea ice that has remained attached to the James Bay shoreline for several months typically begins to break up in mid- to late-May, with melting complete by the end of July.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/15/2026
Resolutions:
1km (108.5 KB), 500m (295.4 KB), 250m (354.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Early spring around Hudson Bay in northern Canada is largely indistinguishable from winter. Sea ice still clings to land, and the boggy lowlands remain frozen. This true-color image, acquired on April 15, 2026 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows ice covering most of James Bay, snow and ice covering the surrounding land including Akamiski Island, and numerous frozen channels and rivers that flow into the Bay.
Situated in the southern portion of Hudson Bay, James Bay and the surrounding landscape was polished during the region’s ice age history. During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of present-day Canada. It centered on Hudson Bay, where its immense weight depressed the land. Since the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, the ice has retreated and the land has been bouncing back. Glacial isostatic adjustment, or isostatic rebound, is relatively rapid around southern Hudson Bay; the surface continues to rise about 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) per year, or 1 meter per century.
While winter paints the region white, as warmer days of summer approach, the pale tones of winter will give way to a more colorful palette. Peatlands near the Bay will take on a lush, green appearance, and partially decayed organic matter in the peat will release tannins that stain the water dark brown like a strong tea. Sea ice that has remained attached to the James Bay shoreline for several months typically begins to break up in mid- to late-May, with melting complete by the end of July.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/15/2026
Resolutions:
1km (108.5 KB), 500m (295.4 KB), 250m (354.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
