Earth from Space: West Antarctica

1 min read · reported by ESA

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This image over part of West Antarctica was captured by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on 30 September 2026.

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At this time of year, winter is coming to an end in the southern hemisphere and the sea ice is at its annual maximum extent. It reaches as far as the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, visible in the central part of the image, where there is also some cloud coverage.

An area of about 1200 km by 1700 km is shown – this area is on the periphery of the Antarctic continent, which is about 4500 km across its main landmass. Elephant Island, about 50 km in length, is clearly visible against ice-free ocean on the left-hand side of the image. It is about 930 km from the tip of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, which is not pictured.

Sea ice for Antarctica’s winter season most likely peaked on 14 September 2026, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This image shows sea ice engulfing the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula as well as part of the Weddell Sea, east of the peninsula.

White cloud covers much of the lower part of the image but sea ice is clearly visible in the upper-right area. A variety of textures reflect the different types of ice, including areas of tightly packed sea ice on the right. Large floes comparable in size to Elephant Island are visible and these progress to much smaller pieces of sea ice that form swirling shapes in the ocean.

Published by the European Space Agency. View the original →