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The\u00a0Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission\u00a0shows us a rare, cloud-free view of Iceland captured on 17\u00a0May\u00a02025.<\/p>\n
Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution or click on the circles.<\/p>\n
In its remote location in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is the westernmost European nation and one of the most northerly inhabited places on the planet. The island is famous for its scenic landscape, including volcanoes, glaciers, lakes, lava fields, hot springs and more than 4800 km of coastline.<\/p>\n
Iceland\u2019s climate makes it an ideal habitat for sparse grassland, extensive bogs and moors, rather than lush forests. It would therefore be difficult to differentiate vegetation and bare ground in a true-colour satellite image.<\/p>\n
This false-colour image has been processed using the near-infrared channel of Sentinel-3\u2019s Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI). It highlights vegetation in shades of red and makes it easier to distinguish between vegetated areas and bare ground or solidified lava fields which appear brownish. Darker or even black areas denote fresher lava flows.<\/p>\n
More than 11% of the island is covered by glaciers \u2013 more than on the whole of continental Europe.\u00a0The large, white area on the eastern part of the island is the Vatnaj\u00f6kull National Park, home to the Vatnaj\u00f6kull Glacier. With an area of around 8400 sq km and an average ice thickness of more than 900 m, Vatnaj\u00f6kull is the biggest glacier in Europe.<\/p>\n
The white, circular patch in the centre is Hofsj\u00f6kull, the country\u2019s third largest glacier and its largest active volcano. The elongated white area west of Hofsj\u00f6kull is Langj\u00f6kull, Iceland\u2019s second largest ice cap.<\/p>\n
Water bodies such as rivers and glacial lakes appear as emerald green shapes scattered around the island. The colour is due to sediment in the water, which then flows into the ocean, dyeing its dark blue waters in hues of green visible along the coasts.<\/p>\n
At top-left, light blue swirls are visible in the sea off the coast of Greenland. These are small sea-ice fragments blown by the wind and ocean currents.<\/p>\n
This image was captured during an unusual heatwave that hit Iceland from 13-22 May 2025. On 17 May, Sentinel-3 was also able to obtain an accurate\u00a0image of the land surface temperature, using data from the mission’s\u00a0Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer instrument.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n