Tundra Melt Pond Aerials

For a short time in the summer, a shallow layer of the Arctic tundra thaws creating temporary melt ponds. These ephemeral ponds quickly come alive with organisms that are well-adapted to survive nine or ten months of extreme cold, then burst into action when ice turns to water once again in late June or July.

These are true-color aerials of tundra and melt ponds on King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. Most were taken from a height of 120m. For scale, at that height, the horizontal distance across the field of view is approximately 160 meters (525 feet).