Ice-free Foxe Basin

Envisat captures an ice-free Foxe Basin – a nearly circular shallow extension of the Atlantic Ocean – located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The Basin is home to the last large landmasses discovered in North America. Prince Charles Island (the large round island in the centre of the image), Air Force Island (located to the east of Prince Charles) and Foley Island (located off Prince Charles’ northern tip) were all discovered in 1948 from aerial surveys.

Image acquired on 23 September 2007 by the MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) instrument aboard ESA’s Envisat satellite.