Spearheaded by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), MOSAiC is the biggest shipborne polar expedition of all time. The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition involves the icebreaker spending a year drifting in the Arctic sea ice. In September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern left from Tromsø for a mammoth Arctic expedition. As an advanced radar mission, Copernicus Sentinel-1 can image the surface of Earth through cloud and rain and regardless of whether it is day or night. During the long winter months, the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission is used to monitor this region instead of Sentinel-2. The image was captured on 15 October 2019, which means it is one of the last images that Sentinel-2 could acquire before darkness descended. During the winter, it’s shrouded in darkness – the Sun sets in late-November and doesn’t rise again until January. Tromsø is over 300 km north of the Arctic Circle.

Owing to its northerly location, the city is a popular area to experience the majestic phenomenon of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Most of Tromsø, lies on the island of Tromsøya, visible at the top of the image.

December 20, 2019: With Christmas almost here, the red and white of this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image bring a festive feel to this week’s image featuring Tromsø – the largest city in northern Norway.

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