May 9, 2022 - Great Slave Lake and the Simpson Islands

Simpson Islands
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After winter ice-up in November, cold spring weather across the
Northwest Territories typically allows ice to linger on the Great Slave
Lake through mid-May. The eight-month hard freeze can make it difficult
to find time to enjoy summer-time recreational activities that draw
visitors to the lake, such as boating, kayaking, fishing. However, the
massive lake is a year-round wonderland, allowing hardy visitors and
locals to enjoy ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country
skiing, and even dog-sledding in even the coldest months.

The Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake located in Canada, the
fifth-largest in North America, and the tenth-largest lake in the world
by area. It is also the deepest lake in North America, with depths
plunging to 2,027 feet (616 meters). The city of Yellowknife, the
capital of and only large city in Northwest Territories, sits on the
northern shore of Great Slave Lake, providing home to slightly more
than 20,000 residents and a stopping-off point for thousands of
tourists each year. Yellowknife sits only about 250 miles (400 km)
south of the Arctic Circle. The First Nation villages of Edzo, Rae and
Dettah are also located on the northern shore.

On May 5, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
the frozen Great Slave Lake. A V-shaped inlet on the north shore marks
the Yellowknife Bay, the location of the city of Yellowknife. The
eastern section of the lake, called the East Arm, stretches to the
northeast and is broken up by a series of rugged islands known as the
Simpson Islands. These steep, cliff-like islands provide spectacular
scenery for those who fish the very productive waters near the islands.
The winding, frozen river flowing into the southern section of the lake
is the Slave River. The south shore of the Great Slave Lake near the
delta of the Slave River inlet has been recognized as an Important Bird
and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by Birdlife International in honor of the
tens of thousands of birds that stop by the area during migration or
stop and breed during the short summer months.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 5/5/2022
Resolutions: 1km (125.8 KB), 500m (382.3 KB), 250m (1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-05-09

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