English: Mosaic of images of the Arctic by MODIS. The brightest spot in the image is Greenland, covered in snowy white. West and north of Greenland, sea ice appears pale gray-blue. Clouds, some translucent and some opaque, occur throughout the scene, distinguished from sea ice by their lighter colour, rougher texture, and less distinct margins. Clouds appear most prevalent north and west of Scandinavia, and between Alaska and the Russian Federation, but wide expanses of land and sea surface peer through cloud-free areas. Most of the Arctic Circle is cloud-free.

Unrelated to the cloud cover, a dull gray smoke plume appears east of Alaska. The plume probably results from wildfires in Canada.