It has been observed that arctic coastal regions which receive river d
ischarge show significant ice regression in advance of other coastal a
reas without this source of sensible heat. This phenomena has been par
ticularly apparent on satellite imagery. The work reported here attemp
ts (1) to quantify and assess the influence of springtime river discha
rge on the removal of nearshore ice and (2) to demonstrate the utility
of satellite imagery as a source of, data to ''drive'' a model assess
ing the influence of springtime river discharge on the removal of near
shore ice. Central to this work is a sequence of advanced very high re
solution radiometer images of the Mackenzie Delta region, Northwest Te
rritories, Canada. These images constitute a database establishing the
temporal sequence of observable breakup events from which a thermodyn
amic model for the ice decay can bi: parameterized. The emphases of th
is model is the influence of the riverine sensible heat on the melting
of sea ice and the ability of satellite imagery to monitor this proce
ss. For simplicity, climatological values rather than meteorological v
alues for atmospheric and solar influences have been used. The results
suggest that the river discharge supplies a significant amount of sen
sible heat to the base of the nearshore ice, accounting for nearly hal
f of the energy required to melt the ice cover. As a result the coasta
l ice is removed 7-14 days in advance of areas without significant riv
er discharge.