In February 2024, the North Atlantic’s sea ice reached its furthest extent of the season, limning the coastline with tens of kilometers of ice. These images — both capturing the Labrador coast on the same day — show the swirling patterns marking the wispy edges of ice field. In this region, the ice is likely following an eddy in the ocean below. Eddies like these can form along the edges where warm and cold currents meet. An ice eddy is particularly special, though, as the water must be warm enough to fragment the sea ice, but not so warm that it melts the smaller ice pieces. (Image credit: top – NASA, lower – M. Garrison; via NASA Earth Observatory)
