Snow Melt Onset Over Arctic Sea Ice from SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS Brightness Temperatures, Version 3

Data set id:

NSIDC-0105

DOI: 10.5067/22NFZL42RMUO

Data Citation and Acknowledgment
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set. Such a practice gives credit to data set producers and advances principles of transparency and reproducibility.

Anderson, M., Bliss, A. C. & Drobot, S. (2014). Snow Melt Onset Over Arctic Sea Ice from SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS Brightness Temperatures. (NSIDC-0105, Version 3). [Data Set]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/22NFZL42RMUO. [describe subset used if applicable]. Date Accessed 12-13-2024.

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There is a more recent version of these data.
Version Summary

Updates the data record to span through the 2012 melt season which includes the use of the SSMIS instrument on the DMSP F17 satellite.

The mask melt_landmask_v02_n.bin is no longer being used for v3, thus, the two-pixel buffer surrounding the coastlines has been removed.

Included the use of an annual sea ice extent mask to indicate sea ice locations where a melt onset date is calculated.

Changed the regression coefficients used to convert the F11 brightness temperatures to use ones from the Northern Hemisphere sea ice overlap area of Stroeve et al. (1998).

Parameter values changed from 0 to 255 (inclusive) to 0 to 245 (inclusive).

Trend files are no longer being generated for v3.

The gsfc_25n.msk land/coast mask is used instead of the n3blcmsk.hdf mask.

Overview

This data set includes yearly snow melt onset dates over Arctic sea ice derived from brightness temperatures from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS). The introduction of liquid water to snow results in a sharp increase in the emissivity and hence brightness temperature of the snowpack. Snow melt onset is defined as the point in time when microwave brightness temperatures increase sharply due to the presence of liquid water in the snowpack. Data span the years 1979 through 2012 and are in a polar stereographic grid at 25 km resolution. The data are flat binary, 1-byte integer files and GIF images. Value-added data sets include the following for each pixel: mean melt onset date; latest (maximum) melt onset date; earliest (minimum) melt onset date; range of melt onset dates (the difference between maximum and minimum -- an index of variability); and standard deviation of melt onset date (another index of variability). Graphical representations of value-added data are also available.

Parameter(s):

SNOW MELT

Platform(s):

DMSP, DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Nimbus-7

Sensor(s):

SMMR, SSM/I, SSMIS

Data Format(s):

GIF, Binary

Temporal Coverage:

1 January 1979 to 31 December 2012

Temporal Resolution:

1 year

Spatial Resolution:

25 km

25 km

Spatial Coverage:

N:

90

S:

30

E:

180

W:

-180

Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.

View Metadata Record

Data Access & Tools

This data set has been retired. There is a more recent version of these data.

Documentation

User Guide

Snow Melt Onset Over Arctic Sea Ice from SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS Brightness Temperatures, Version 3 User Guide

Sensor and Instrument Information

SMMR, SSM/I, and SSMIS Sensors Summary

Help Articles

How to Articles

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