Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured Great Bear Lake on 17 June 2026. The satellite image shows the lake covering 31,328 square kilometres in the Northwest Territories, making it the largest freshwater lake entirely within Canada and the fourth largest in North America. The lake straddles the Arctic Circle and is surrounded by boreal forest and tundra.

The lake is irregularly shaped, contains many islands, and is covered by ice from late November to July. Its clear, cold waters appear dark in the false‑colour image, which uses three visible and infrared bands to highlight surface differences.

In the image, ice appears in shades of blue to cyan, with brighter tones indicating thinner ice. Melted water shows as dark blue or black, especially along shorelines and bays where shallower water warms more quickly. Seasonal fractures and shifting ice floes are visible across the surface.

Green tones dominate the surrounding land, indicating boreal forest and tundra vegetation that is greening as the Arctic summer approaches. Reddish‑orange and pink patches indicate exposed rock of the Canadian Shield, sparsely vegetated tundra, or fire‑scarred areas that have not yet regrown.

Sentinel-2 operates a two‑satellite constellation with a high‑resolution camera that records 13 spectral bands. Frequent revisits provide data on land use, vegetation health, and changes in inland water bodies.

The image demonstrates how satellite observations can monitor ice melt and water extent in remote Arctic regions.