In late January 2026, the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore was filled with ice chunks due to the extreme cold temperatures. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured an image of this wintry scene around midday on Jan. 28. In the image, the ice appears light blue, while open water and snow are clearly visible. Vegetation stands out in red.
Most of the ice in the Hudson River likely came from further upriver, where weaker tidal currents and lower salinity levels allow for quicker freezing compared to the brackish water near the river’s mouth. Scientists study the effects of river ice and monitor waterways to better understand these natural processes.
For more information on how scientists track waterways and the impact of river ice, check out this link: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/chilled-new-york-city/.
Text credit: Lindsey Doermann
Image credit: Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey
Original Source: NASA