The Earth Story

Appat island The icy island continent of Greenland has a variety of smaller isles spread around it, including this currently uninhabited and cold seeming place located near Thule air force base, a mainstay of the cold war. Located off the north-western coast in a fiord system that discharges into Baffin bay, it was inhabited by a small settlement that exploited a marble quarry that opened in 1755, and was later abandoned. The plateau lying above the steep cliffs is glaciated and peaks at 1,688 metres, and the island remains isolated by sea ice for much of the year. It can only be reached by chartered boat or helicopter, making it a truly remote destination. Loz

Image credit: Michael Studinger/NASA http://www.touristlink.com/greenland/appat-island/overview.html

Cloud streets and ice in the Davis straight.

This image was taken by NASA's AQUA satellite in 2013. It shows cloud streets and winter sea ice in the Davis Straight, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with Baffin Bay, and separates Canada from Greenland. Cloud streets form when cold Arctic air passes over warmer ocean, causing condensation of the warmer marine air. When the winds pass over ice, no clouds result as the wind itself is very dry. It is the temperature difference with the sea that causes condensation. They align in the direction of the prevailing winds at the altitude where toe two airs meet.

Loz

Image credit: Nasa.