Alert, at the edge of the Arctic world

Satellite image of the coastline near Alert, Nunavut from the Sentinel-2 constellation. Large, bright-white ice floes drift along the rugged, barren shore of northern Ellesmere Island, marking the seasonal breakup of sea ice.

Alert is the northernmost permanently inhabited place on Earth, located just 817 km from the geographic North Pole. It is an important Canadian outpost for Arctic research and observation.  (Credit: Sentinel-2)