NSIDC

NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors have functioned well for decades. What comes next? Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)! Data sets are available from the NASA NSIDC DAAC. https://nsidc.org/data/viirs

See how researchers cooked up collaborative resources on how to use the the NASA Earthdata Cloud. https://bit.ly/4cXUrhz

Stay informed with updates from NSIDC and our programs—NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA@NSIDC), and the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA). Subscribe: https://bit.ly/3Q1Snvv

Growing crops means understanding soil moisture, and the NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) has data for that. https://bit.ly/4ymFUnA

The continuous satellite record for Arctic sea ice monitoring started in late October 1978, but rescued Nimbus data sets, available from the NASA NSIDC DAAC, go back to the 1960s. https://nsidc.org/data/nimbus

Can you drink melted sea ice? Find the answer to this question and other questions about sea ice in NSIDC's Learn section of our website. https://bit.ly/4aOCK2D

Want to view NASA NSIDC DAAC data through your browser? NASA Worldview makes it easy. https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/

The NASA NSIDC DAAC Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) data collection includes data products derived from satellite data and created by researchers for researchers. https://nsidc.org/data/measures

Have you used the NSIDC DAAC's Satellite Observations of Arctic Change (SOAC) tool? If so, share your experience with us at nsidc@nsidc.org, to help us develop future capabilities that better support your data discovery and visualization requirements. https://nsidc.org/data/soac

The ICESat-2 Calibration/Validation Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) L3A Sea Ice Freeboard from the NASA NSIDC DAAC has high-resolution sea ice freeboard estimates from airborne measurements collected over the Arctic Ocean. https://bit.ly/4rGsGPW

NOAA@NSIDC has released Version 2 of the Canadian Ice Service Arctic Regional Sea Ice Charts in SIGRID-3 Format for ice concentration, development stage, & ice form. This version extends the data record from 2006 to 1968 through the present. https://bit.ly/3TAQHLT

The NASA NSIDC DAAC has released the SnowEx23 Oct23 IOP Snow Pits and Substrate Conditions at Freeze Up data set. It has snow pit measurements collected during the NASA SnowEx October 2023 Intensive Observation Period in Alaska. https://doi.org/10.5067/UHPAQGYY36W6

The NASA NSIDC DAAC ICESat/GLAS collection has data products derived from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) instrument, from 2003 to early 2010. Parameters include sea ice, glacier, and ice sheet elevation, ice roughness, and more. https://nsidc.org/data/icesat

The Extreme Ice Survey Glacier Image Archive at NSIDC holds 1.5 million images from time-lapse cameras (2007-2022), capturing rapid changes in arctic and alpine landscapes. This collection provides crucial data on the speed and extent of glacial retreat. https://bit.ly/4y2mx3g

Display browse images from five different NOAA@NSIDC Arctic sea ice products in a spreadsheet-like format. The tool allows you to quickly compare different time periods and regions in a tabular view. Check it out: https://nsidc.org/data/bist

The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) Glacier Viewer from the NASA NSIDC DAAC lets you compare glacier outlines from versions 6 and 7 of the Randolph Glacier Inventory. https://bit.ly/4hodZOa

Summer was cool and stormy over the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic sea ice extent average for September was thirteenth lowest in the satellite record. Antarctic sea ice extent dropped sharply through September, hitting record-low daily extents since October 2. https://bit.ly/3TKl3LO

A new study from NSIDC research affiliate Alia Khan shows that penguin poop, a light-absorbing shade of green, melts snow. The penguin poop fertilizes snow algae blooms, and as temperatures rise, snow-algae habitats spread, darkening the snow surface. https://bit.ly/4hHrIhS

Getting started with earthaccess? The NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center has got you covered. https://bit.ly/4fAWlWq

The NASA NSIDC DAAC has released the ICESat-2 Cal/Val 2022 L2 CHIR Green Wavelength Lidar Arctic Sea Ice Heights and Bathymetry data set. It has Arctic summer sea ice heights and bathymetry, and aims to evaluate positional accuracies of ATLAS measurements. https://doi.org/10.5067/1HQSJWJGKWDL

Millions of people rely on water from melted snow. NASA's Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E)/AMSR2 Unified L3 Global Monthly 25 km EASE-Grid Snow Water Equivalent from the NSIDC DAAC provides monthly estimates of snow water content. https://doi.org/10.5067/43NH9LHM9YRK

William O. Field photographed Alaska's Columbia Glacier’s front on Sept 11, 1931. Since 1980, the glacier retreated more than 20 km (12 miles), losing more than half its pre-1980 volume. See thousands of images from NOAA@NSIDC’s Glacier Photo Collection. https://bit.ly/3NcHZxk

What types of data does NSIDC provide? Learn the answer to this question and more about our data: https://nsidc.org/data/user-resources/get-started-nsidc-data

As sea levels rise and global topography changes, coastal communities may increasingly need to plan for relocation. But Alaska’s threatened communities have demonstrated the challenge of relocation. https://nsidc.org/news-analyses/news-stories/see-or-not-see-reality-sea-level-rise

Use the NOAA@NSIDC Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent-Northern Hemisphere (MASIE-NH) data product to select and view an Arctic region's recent ice extent. Compare this year's extent over the last four weeks with the previous four years for the same time: https://bit.ly/4aqImiP

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Arctic sea ice extent has reached its minimum for the year, landing at 10th lowest with 2008, 2010, and 2025. Antarctic sea ice may have topped out at 3rd lowest maximum in the satellite record. A full analysis will come out in early Oct from Sea Ice Today:https://bit.ly/4yYW1YB

On Sept 12, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent of 4.60 million square kilometers (1.78 million square miles), tying for tenth lowest with 2008, 2010, and 2025. The last 20 years are the lowest 20 sea ice extents in the satellite record. https://bit.ly/4Ate4Yl

This year, NSIDC celebrates 50 years of data, research, and service. In 1976, the United States celebrated its bicentennial, disco topped the charts, and no one had yet seen a Star Wars movie. That same year, the NSIDC opened its doors. https://nsidc.org/news-analyses/news-stories/nsidc-turns-50

Nilas is a thin sheet of smooth, level ice less than 10 centimeters (4 inches) thick. It is the first stage in sea ice growth, forming in calm, cold conditions with a dark, almost translucent appearance. Learn more cool terms: NSIDC cryosphere glossary https://bit.ly/4yJOv3z

NOAA@NSIDC is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Snow and Ice Data Center that provides free, open-access data on Earth's frozen regions. https://nsidc.org/data/data-programs/noaa-nsidc

The complete multichannel passive microwave record includes sea ice observations from late Oct 1978 to today using the NASA NSIDC DAAC Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), SSM/I, SSMIS, and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR2). https://nsidc.org/data/smmr_ssmi

You have multiple options to download data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), archived at the NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), including NASA Earthdata search and Worldview. https://nsidc.org/data/modis

The Ice, Cloud and Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) L4 Monthly Gridded Sea Ice Thickness, Version 4 data set, available from the NASA NSIDC DAAC, now offers extended temporal coverage with monthly files from September 2025 through April 2026. https://doi.org/10.5067/TXDHDJ1JT0CG

In 2021, the US NSF established the NNA Community Office (NNA-CO) at NSIDC for its Navigating the New Arctic program to coordinate 100+ projects, build lasting partnerships, and offer resources and opportunities for knowledge exchange across the Arctic. https://bit.ly/4hmoNMw

Data products from the NASA NSIDC DAAC Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E): sea ice concentration & motion, sea surface temp, snow depth & water equivalent, soil moisture, wind speed, water vapor, precipitation, and other parameters. https://nsidc.org/data/amsre

Do you know how to access data from the NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) Earthdata Cloud? We can get you started. https://nsidc.org/data/earthdata-cloud

Although conditions are harsh at the poles, life thrives above, below, and within sea ice, which is critical to sustaining migratory birds, fish, and other species by fulfilling fundamental functions in life's seasonal rhythm. Learn more about sea ice: https://bit.ly/4d4Y4Sa

High Mountain Asia has the highest concentration of glacier ice outside the polar regions. Glaciers provide life-sustaining water but pose hazards such as glacial-lake outburst floods and landslides. The NSIDC DAAC offers myriad data sets on this region. https://nsidc.org/data/highmountainasia

Explore over 1,400 data sets housed at NSIDC. Filter results by collection method, geographic area, and geophysical measurement. https://nsidc.org/data/explore-data

NOAA@NSIDC's data set called "Sea-ice Thickness and Draft Statistics from Submarine ULS, Moored ULS, and a Coupled Model" offers sea ice thickness and draft estimates from multiple observations around the North Pole from Jan 1, 1979, to Dec 31, 2004. https://doi.org/10.7265/N53N21BT

Two NSIDC DAAC data sets, Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS)-Based Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) L2 Radiometer Half-Orbit 9 km EASE-Grid Soil Moisture and SMAP/SMOS L3 Radiometer 9 km EASE-Grid Soil Moisture, have been updated to version 2. https://bit.ly/46zTmIo

A small lake of meltwater can pool near a glacier's terminus. But extreme or fast ice melt, or ice or rock avalanches into these lakes, can cause water to overflow. These glacial lake outburst floods can be rapid and deadly. Learn more about glaciers: https://bit.ly/4x3ePo3

The Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic, a NSIDC program, collaborates with Arctic communities and Indigenous organizations, schools, and researchers to create customized data management products and open and tailored data access. https://eloka.nsidc.org/eloka

NSIDC's monthly sea ice analyses are back! In the Arctic, the sea ice extent this summer was tracking 2012 levels until August. In the Antarctic, sea ice had an unusually large mid-winter decline over a week in August. https://nsidc.org/sea-ice-today/analyses/arctic-zigs-antarctic-zags

FAIR = Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reproducible. OpenScapes helps NSIDC achieve those data-access goals. https://nsidc.org/news-analyses/news-stories/using-nasa-openscapes-framework-enable-open-science

The NSIDC DAAC has released a new data set: SnowEx23 Airborne SWESARR Backscatter Intensity Raw. It contains airborne microwave observations collected during the SnowEx23 Alaska field campaign. https://bit.ly/4zPUh52

You can view NSIDC data on a virtual globe using our Google Earth files, including sea ice minimum and maximim extents dating back to 1979. https://nsidc.org/data/google_earth

The Aquarius data collection from the NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) offers daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual soil moisture products, along with salinity and freeze/thaw products. https://nsidc.org/data/aquarius/data

A nunatak is a rocky crag or small mountain projecting from and surrounded by a glacier or ice sheet. Visit the NSIDC Cryosphere Glossary to discover more unique terms that describe our frozen world. https://nsidc.org/learn/cryosphere-glossary