Data Announcements

On 05 July, 2013, the V01 2009, 2010, and 2011 Antarctica data were replaced by V01.1. In the V01.1 data files, magnetic base corrections are removed and fields in the data files are re-ordered. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge Geometrics 823A Cesium Magnetometer L2 Geolocated Magnetic Anomalies data set landing page.

NmAVCS1H consists of black-and-white Advanced Vidicon Camera System images that were acquired by the Nimbus 1 satellite during August and September, 1964 and by Nimbus 2 from May to August, 1966. Learn more about the NSIDC DAAC Nimbus data rescue project data collection.

Back in the 1960s, technology to process massive amounts of data and imagery did not exist. Advancements in technology now allow for the processing of film into a digital format. The Nimbus Data Rescue Project set out on a techno-archeological mission to convert data and images from the NASA Nimbus 1 and 2 satellites that were developed on film into a more manageable digital format.

V01 data were replaced by V01.1. V01.1 data files include UTC timestamps and re-ordered fields. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge BGM-3 Gravimeter L2 Geolocated Free Air Anomalies data set landing page.

When monthly processing for the July 2013 update to the Sea Ice Index took place, the baseline climatological period for it and for the Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis (ASINA) site changed from 22 years (1979-2000, inclusive) to 30 years (1981-2010, inclusive). Below is a summary of what changed and what did not change. Changes to the data:

On 31 January 2013 the ICESat Project Science Team announced that a correction to ICESat surface elevation data products is necessary due to an error in the range determination from transmit-pulse reference selection (centroid vs. Gaussian, G-C). Correction files and correction programs in FORTRAN and IDL are available via FTP. For more information about the findings and corrections please see Correction to ICESat Data Product Surface Elevations.

NOAA@NSIDC plans to change the baseline climatological period for the Sea Ice Index and the Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis (ASINA) from 22 years (1979-2000, inclusive) to 30 years (1981-2010, inclusive) this July.

New data regarding snow, sea ice, Greenland surface melt and more will be coming soon to NSIDC. The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) program is dedicated to the development of consistent global and continental scale data records related to earth science. NSIDC currently archives six data sets from the MEaSUREs program, and the additional data sets will be available in the near future.

Updated Version 3 brightness temperature data are now available for the AMSR-E/Aqua Level-2A Global Swath Spatially-Resampled Brightness Temperatures (AE_L2A) data set. Changes to the Version 3 algorithm for these data include:

This data set contains temperature-depth profile measurements taken in 22 boreholes drilled on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which exhibit two distinctly different thermal states of basal ice: a warm state and a relatively colder state.

NASA IceBridge Narrow Swath ATM L1B Qfit Elevation and Return Strength data for 2012 Antarctica are now available from NSIDC. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge Narrow Swath ATM L1B Qfit Elevation and Return Strength catalog page.

The NASA IceBridge CAMBOT L1B Geolocated Images for 2012 Antarctica are now available from NSIDC. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge CAMBOT L1B Geolocated Images data set landing page.

The NASA IceBridge Project is comprised of airborne data over the most dynamic areas of the Arctic, Greenland, Alaska and Antarctica. The data gathered by this project are unique in that they are spatially referenced by flight lines, flights are flown during approximately 3-month campaigns, and data are collected by a wide variety of instrumentation. The NASA IceBridge Data Portal provides a single location from which one can get an overview of all the IceBridge data sets.

The NASA IceBridge ATM L2 Icessn Elevation, Slope, and Roughness data for 2012 Antarctica are now available from NSIDC. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge ATM L2 Icessn Elevation, Slope, and Roughness catalog page.

NASA IceBridge MCoRDS L1B Geolocated Radar Echo Strength Profiles 2012 Antarctica data are now available at NSIDC. For documentation, and to access data, see the IceBridge MCoRDS L1B Geolocated Radar Echo Strength Profiles data set landing page.

The NASA IceBridge Sea Ice Freeboard, Snow Depth, and Thickness Quick Look April 2013 Arctic evaluation product data are now available from NSIDC. The data are from flights completed during 22, 24, and 25 April 2013. See the NASA IceBridge Sea Ice Freeboard, Snow Depth, and Thickness Quick Look data set landing page for more information.

Brightness Temperature data products from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) onboard the Global Change Observation Mission 1st – Water (GCOM-W1) satellite have recently been released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). For additional information and access to the data, visit the GCOM-W JAXA EROC.

The NASA IceBridge Sea Ice Freeboard, Snow Depth, and Thickness Quick Look 2013 Arctic evaluation product data are now available from NSIDC. See the NASA IceBridge Sea Ice Freeboard, Snow Depth, and Thickness Quick Look data set landing page for more information.

NASA IceBridge ATM L1B Qfit Elevation and Return Strength data for 2012 Antarctica are now available from NSIDC. See the IceBridge ATM L1B Qfit Elevation and Return Strength data set landing page at for more information.

ELOKA is pleased to announce the release of the Local Observations from the Seasonal Ice Zone Observing Network data set. This data set contains observations of sea ice, weather, and wildlife collected by Indigenous Inupiaq and Yup'ik sea ice experts in several communities along the northern and western coasts of Alaska, beginning in 2006. The product is a database of local observations spatially referenced as near or around Alaskan villages and is available via a Web interface.