Welcome to the National Snow and Ice Data Center

Advancing knowledge of Earth's frozen regions since 1976

Stay current with our expert analyses

Sea ice in all types of shapes
Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets
skiers drop in from a cliff in Silverton, Colorado
Analysis - Sea Ice Today
November 4, 2024
As darkness extends southward across the Arctic, sea ice has advanced to much of the Russian shoreline, but growth has been particularly slow in the Barents and Kara Seas. In the Antarctic, with the onset of spring, the pace of seasonal sea ice loss has increased.

Data, research & analysis updates

Analysis - Sea Ice Today
As darkness extends southward across the Arctic, sea ice has advanced to much of the Russian shoreline, but growth has been particularly slow in the Barents and Kara Seas. In the Antarctic, with the onset of spring, the pace of seasonal sea ice loss has increased.
ELOKA Event
On November 13, 2024, at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) Auditorium, members of the Advisory Committee for the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) will discuss the growth of community-led knowledge documentation projects across the Arctic in the context of broader environmental and social changes.

Data management programs at NSIDC

A satellite view of Malaspina Glacier in Alaska

NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC)

Open access cryosphere and related geophysical data from NASA Earth-observing satellite missions, airborne campaigns, and field observations.
methane bubbles frozen in lake in Canada

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at NSIDC

A NOAA-funded program providing open access data from satellites, field instruments, weather stations, historical records, and rescued data.
Billy Adams observes the environment from the ice lead edge near Utqiaġvik, Alaska. This photo is part of an observation record in the AAOKH online database developed by ELOKA. Credit: Mette Kaufman

Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA): Data Curation for Indigenous Communities

Working with Indigenous communities in the Arctic to preserve and promote their data and knowledge for use in scientific studies.