English: Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula sits about 51 miles (82 km) from the state of Alaska, USA, separated only by the waters of the Bering Strait. The Arctic Circle runs across the northern section of the peninsula and this location ensures that winters are frozen and frigid while spring warm-up is slow.

On June 3, 2017, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of Far Eastern Siberia, Russia.

The Chukchi Peninsula remained covered by a layer of snow, despite the calendar’s advance towards summer. The bright white color of the bays and rivers indicate they remained frozen – an indication that temperatures have not yet warmed above freezing for long periods.

The sea ice along the northern coast, however, was showing signs of springtime. It no longer held fast to the shoreline, as it would be in winter. In addition, the ice has a roughened appearance indicating that it is breaking into pieces. A number of icebergs can be seen on the edge of the sea ice, some of which appear to be free-floating rather than embedded in a sheet of frozen sea ice.