Landsat 9 Shows Vega Island Glaciers Bare in October 2026 as Warm Winter Cut Snow Cover
Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · Oct 30
Landsat 9 Shows Vega Island Glaciers Bare in October 2026 as Warm Winter Cut Snow Cover
2 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · Oct 30
Summary
October 10, 2026 Landsat 9 imagery showed large snow-free areas on Vega Island, with darker bare ice exposed across glaciers that are usually snow-covered by spring.
Above-average winter 2026 temperatures—especially in June—left limited new snow accumulation, while sublimation and wind scouring stripped surfaces further, glaciologist Mauri Pelto said.
That exposed ice is likely to accelerate melting in the coming season because it absorbs more solar energy than snow; even a thin spring snowfall could temporarily slow the process.
Vega’s glaciers have long shown retreat: a 1982 inventory counted 29 glaciers, and Devil’s Bay Glacier has recorded an overall mass decline since monitoring began in 1998-99.