Fierce Arctic Storm Forms Stunning Mosaic

Fierce Arctic Storm Forms Stunning Mosaic, A NASA satellite captures images of an unusually strong storm as it swirls over the Arctic Ocean. Unusually Strong Arctic Storm Spied from Above, An unusually strong storm formed off the coast of Alaska on Aug. 5, then moved over the central Arctic, where a NASA satellite took pictures of it that have been pieced together into a mosaic of the stunning sight.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took the images that make up the mosaic during various passes over the North Pole on Aug. 6, when the storm was swirling over the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

Seeing such strong storms in the Arctic during August is a rare occurrence. Paul A. Newman, chief scientist for Atmospheric Sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., estimates that there have only been about eight storms of similar strength during the month of August in the last 34 years of satellite records, according to a NASA statement.

“It’s an uncommon event, especially because it’s occurring in the summer. Polar lows are more usual in the winter,” Newman said in the release.

Storms like this can impact Arctic sea ice and cause it to melt rapidly as it churns the ice and potentially pushes it into warmer spots of water.