Data Announcements

The Near-Real-Time DMSP SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Sea Ice Concentrations, Version 1 data set will be retired from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) on 31 December 2022. Access to the data will no longer be available, but the data set documentation will remain available for future reference. Access to the documentation is provided on the data set web page at the NSIDC DAAC: https://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0081/versions/1.

The MEaSUREs Greenland 6 and 12 day Ice Sheet Velocity Mosaics from SAR, Version 2 data set, accessible through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), has been updated. New data from 23 June 2022 to 09 October 2022 have been added.

Collection 6.1 Terra forward processing has resumed at MODAPS as of 12/16/2022, following an update to the geolocation code to relax the "orbit tolerance" limit that is imposed on MODIS geolocation data generation. This became necessary, following certain changes in the Terra orbit configurations, after the last two set of Terra Constellation Exit Maneuvers (CEMs) carried out in October, 2022. All Collection 6.1 Terra and combined product generation should now be back to nominal status. A similar geolocation code update is expected for Collection 6 early next week. 

The MEaSUREs Greenland Image Mosaics from Sentinel-1A and -1B, Version 4 data set, accessible from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) has been updated. New data from 23 June 2022 to 09 October 2022 have been added.  

Images of Antarctic Ice Shelves, Version 2 (NSIDC-0102), accessible through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), has been upgraded from a Basic level of service to a Standard level of service. In addition to a higher level of support, the NSIDC DAAC now provides a user guide for this data set which may be accessed through the documentation tab on the data set web page.

The Snow Melt Onset Over Arctic Sea Ice from SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS Brightness Temperatures Version 5 data set is now available through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). This data set includes yearly snow melt onset dates over Arctic sea ice derived from Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) brightness temperature measurements.

It has come to our attention that for charts from the beginning of the series in January 2003 through January 2006, the U.S. National Ice Center Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Charts in SIGRID-3 Format, Version 1 data set included an additional variable used to identify fast ice. Prior to February 2006 the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) used the form variable “CF”, filled with 0899, to identify some polygons as fast ice.

MODIS Collection 6 will cease forwarding processing as of 31 December 2022.  Data for Collection 6 will remain available until Spring of 2023, but the NSIDC encourages users to switch to the newer Collection 6.1 data.  Additionally, users should be aware that beginning 1 December 2022, Terra has been failing in the L1 geolocation process.  All Terra MODIS data processing has been put on hold while the issue is addressed.  Aqua MODIS data continues to be processed.  

The SnowEx21 Cameron Pass Ground Penetrating Radar, Version 1 (SNEX21_COCP_GPR), and SnowEx21 Cameron Pass Ground Penetrating Radar Raw, Version 1, (SNEX21_COCP_GPR_Raw) data sets are now available at the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). This data set contains the results of 1 GHz ground-penetrating radar surveys conducted at Cameron Pass, Colorado during the SnowEx21 campaign.

The MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Velocity: Selected Glacier Site Velocity Maps from InSAR, Version 4 data set, accessible from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) has been updated. New data from 01 October 2021 to 12 October 2022 have been added.

The SnowEx Meteorological Station Measurements from Grand Mesa, CO, Version 1 (Snex_Met), and SnowEx Meteorological Station Measurements from Grand Mesa, CO Raw, Version 1, (Snex_Met_Raw) data sets are now available at the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). The datasets contain air temperature, relative humidity, 4-component radiation, barometric pressure, soil-moisture, soil temperature and derived snow-depth measurements.

It has come to our attention that the fast ice extent area is underestimated in the files between January 2003 and January 2006 from the U.S. National Ice Center Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Concentration and Climatologies in Gridded Format data set. This is due to processing at NSIDC failing to take into account USNIC’s use of the form variable “CF” to identify fast ice during this period.

The AMSR-E/AMSR2 Unified L2B Global Swath Surface Precipitation, Version 1 data set archived at the National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) has been updated. In November 2022, the data provider began processing and delivering the AMSR-E portion of the data (01 June 2002 to 04 October 2011) to NSIDC. We will be making these files available as we receive them. Also, the AMSR2 portion has been upgraded from Validation Stage 1 to Validation Stage 2.

The DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Brightness Temperatures, Version 6 data set, accessible through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), has been updated through 5 October 2022. This data set provides daily gridded brightness temperatures derived from passive microwave sensors and distributed in a polar stereographic projection.

The SMAP Level-4 Data Sets, accessible through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), have been updated to version 7. For all Level-4 data products, data from the entire time series (31 March 2015 to present) are now available. Version 6 data products will be retired on 30 November 2022.  SMAP L4 Global 3-hourly 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Analysis Update, Version 7

The IceBridge BedMachine Greenland, Version 4 data set, will be retired from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) on 19 December 2022.

The Likely Basal Thermal State of the Greenland Ice Sheet, Version 1 data set, will be retired from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) on 19 December 2022.

The ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Slope-Corrected Land Ice Height Time Series, Version 5 data set, accessible through the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), has been updated to include data from cycle 15 of the ATLAS/ICESat-2 mission.

The SMAP data acquired after anomaly recovery have been determined to be high quality and consistent with the data acquired prior to the anomaly. The radiometer calibration is stable within 0.1 K and the footprint uncertainty is within 3 km. L1 brightness temperature, L2-L3 radiometer soil moisture, and freeze/thaw products acquired since anomaly recovery will be available at NSIDC on October 7, 2022. The L4 Soil moisture/Carbon products will restart assimilation of SMAP TB observations beginning with data from October 3, 2022.

NOAA@NSIDC is pleased to announce that 38 photos have been added to the Glacier Photograph Collection, Version 1. The photos range in dates from 1963 to 2022. Ten of the photos are part of a new collection called the Koni Steffen Special Collection that include photos of a glacier in Greenland that was posthumously named for Konrad Steffen, renowned Swiss glaciologist and climate scientist. The photos were taken during the Leister Expedition Go North 2022 to northern Greenland.