Data Sets for Research
Scientific Data Search
Support for Researchers
Data for Everyone
Sponsored Programs
Looking for facts and information? See About the Cryosphere.
On Thin Ice:
Expedition to a Crumbling Ice Shelf
Scientists blog from Antarctica and provide a glimpse of what it's like to do research in the field. Read their blog ...
Current Conditions
Icelights: Answers to your burning questions about ice and climate
What's hot in the news around climate and sea ice and what are scientists talking about now? Read more...
What is the Cryosphere?
When scientists talk about the cryosphere, they mean the places on Earth where water is in its solid form, frozen into ice or snow. Read more ...
Sea ice is classified by stages of development that relate to thickness and age. Most scientists describe sea ice only by its age, typically as first-year or multiyear. However, some experts who chart the extent of ice for navigational purposes use specific terms to relate the thickness of ice to its age.
New ice is a technical term that refers to ice less than 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) thick. As the ice thickens, it enters the young ice stage, defined as ice that is 10 to 30 centimeters (3.9 to 11.8 inches) thick. Young ice is sometimes split into two subcategories, based on color: grey ice (10 to 15 centimeters, or 3.9 to 5.9 inches thick) and grey-white ice (15 to 30 centimeters, or 5.9 to 11.8 inches thick). First-year ice is thicker than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), but has not survived a summer melt season. Multiyear ice is ice that has survived a summer melt season and is much thicker than younger ice, typically ranging from 2 to 4 meters (78.7 to 157.5 inches) thick. The following sections describe each stage in more detail.
Last updated: 3 April 2020
Home | Contact Us
© 2022, National Snow and Ice Data Center :: Advancing knowledge of Earth's frozen regions