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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
September 3, 2024
With the waning of sunlight, the pace of sea ice loss in the Arctic is slowing, and the seasonal minimum is expected in mid-September. While a new record low is highly unlikely, extent at the beginning of September is below many recent years. Antarctic ice extent is approaching its seasonal maximum and is near last year's record low.

Data, research & analysis updates

Spotlight
In May 2024, our planet experienced one of the strongest solar storms in decades. The most visible (and fun) consequence of the solar storm was a proliferation of auroras. But solar storms pose risks to satellites, including NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) which saw its normal operations interrupted.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today
With the waning of sunlight, the pace of sea ice loss in the Arctic is slowing, and the seasonal minimum is expected in mid-September. While a new record low is highly unlikely, extent at the beginning of September is below many recent years. Antarctic ice extent is approaching its seasonal maximum and is near last year's record low.
Spotlight
The NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) manages a range of MODIS data, making a suite of snow cover and sea ice data products freely accessible to the public. These data can be used to investigate how snow and ice cover have changed over time, to study Earth’s energy balance, and to feed global and polar climate models. Recently, the NSIDC DAAC published a new MODIS data set, MODIS/Terra Global Annual 0.01Deg CMG Snow Cover Climatology, Version 1. This data set focuses on global snow cover climatology from 2001 to 2023 using data from the Terra satellite and presents information using global maps.

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.