Ice-free Chukchi Sea

[24-July-24] The Chukchi Sea, located between Alaska (U.S.) and Siberia (Russia), is covered in ice during the winter. Ice retreat begins in spring and by late July, when this image was acquired, the shelf was largely ice-free. The Chukchi Sea is home to marine mammals like bowhead and beluga whales, polar bears, and various seals and walruses. The marine ecosystem is fueled by tiny species at the other end of the food web: microscopic algae known as phytoplankton. Green, teal, and light blue colors in this image – taken by the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) sensor aboard the PACE satellite on July 24, 2024 – reveal high concentrations of phytoplankton.