One of the fascinating aspects of GOES-16 is how much better the resolution is at higher latitudes, near the limb or edge of the footprint. Forecasters at the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) noted how much easier it is to see the ice sheet (when clouds allow) and even the breaking up of this ice into groups of icebergs!
The 0.86 µm near-infrared “Veggie” channel animation above shows the ice swirling or drifting near Labrador and New Foundland. The 1-km resolution imagery is more resolved around 2 km at this latitude due to the, yet you can see amazing detail in the ice breaking up and moving around. Note: The imagery jump is due to GOES-16 ongoing testing during the beta period.
The Aqua MODIS image above shows a more nadir view of the ice swirls east of Labrador on 04/24/17. This image is higher resolution (1 km) than the GOES-16 animation above and provides great details that were not previously available to OPC forecasters.
The Iceberg Analysis from 04/24/17, shows the extent and number of icebergs that are being tracked this spring. According to this CBC News article, “about 450 icebergs near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, up from 37 a week earlier, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol in New London, Connecticut. Those kinds of numbers are usually not seen until late May or early June. The average for this time of year is about 80.” More than 600 icebergs have been spotted in shipping lanes that made the Titanic unfortunately, famous. A couple photos are included below.
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