A Bare Summer for Barnes Ice Cap – NASA Science0

• Earth Observatory, Ice & Glaciers, Landsat 9, SCIENCE, Science / Health, Science Mission Directorate, scientists, Snow, Space, Space Communications & Navigation Program, Space Launch System (SLS), Space Telescope, space-x-ipo, SpaceX
• August 4, 2026

For most of the year, the Barnes Ice Cap in the Canadian Arctic lies quiet under a blanket of snow. By summer, that snow melts back, and the ice cap transforms in texture, its bare ice dotted with turquoise ponds and its surface threaded with meltwater channels. In summer 2026, this seasonal awakening arrived fast and