File:Possible re-suspended sediment in the Bering Sea (MODIS 2018-03-06).jpg

English: Warm storms and strong winds over the Bering Sea melted ice and stirred up the waters in late February, 2018.

According to a story published by the Anchorage Daily News on February 28, about half of the ice on the Bering Sea disappeared during a two-week stormy period that ended on February 24. This resulted in ice coverage falling below a record low set 17 years ago. The swath of sea ice that disappeared as warm storms pummeled the region were estimated to be the size of Minnesota. About 10 individual storms battered the Bering Sea region in the first three weeks of February, with another closing out the month.

On March 4, 2018, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite flew over the Bering Sea and acquired a true-color image of the scene.

Swirling clouds hang over the frozen landscape of Nunivak Island and the Yukon Delta (east) and the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula (southeast). Additional cloud banks stretch over open water of the Bering Sea. Between the clouds the typically royal blue waters appear stained with tan streaks and swirls. This discoloration is likely due to resuspension of sediment from the relatively shallow ocean bottom close to the mainland, something that can occur when strong winds create choppy water and mixing of ocean water strata. It is also possible that some of the sediment may arise from runoff from the Kuskokwim River, which lies under cloud in the east in this image.