News & Stories
Across the globe, snow and ice play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and providing freshwater resources to people, plants, and animals.
As Earth’s frozen regions change rapidly, NSIDC is committed to growing its research and open access data to better understand these changes. Read about NSIDC research and its contribution to science and policy making. Check out spotlights on how to use NSIDC data, tools, and resources. Learn about how we steward data and collaborate with scientists and organizations across the world to understand how the frozen parts of Earth affect the rest of the planet and impact society.
News and stories
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Feature Story
The 2023 winter brought record snowfall to California and other parts of the western United States, but unlike rain, snowfall is much more nuanced in its properties. Getting accurate snow depth data over a wide area is not easy. Read more about the challenges of garnering snow data and the tools behind snow data.
News Release
Scientific researchers have made leaps and bounds in recent years gathering new data and insights on these regions, but there has been a lag in curriculum development for undergraduate students who are studying the geosciences and environmental sciences. Polar Places and Spaces (PolarPASS) seeks to fill this gap by developing a science-based curriculum to help students learn about the scientific discovery process and to connect them with far-away places that they may not have the opportunity to visit in person.
Spotlight
NASA’s OpenAltimetry tool allows experienced and new users alike to quickly find and download elevation data through a web browser without the need for costly software or hefty computational resources.
Spotlight
Several representatives from NSIDC will be attending the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting 2023 to share their expertise and connect with Earth Science experts. We've compiled a list of all sessions in which NSIDC staff are involved, including presentations, posters, workshops and other discussions.
Spotlight
Melting glaciers and ice sheets are already the biggest contributors to global sea level rise. Yet, of the approximately 200,000 glaciers in the world currently, no database exists to identify which glaciers have disappeared, and when. The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) initiative, an international project designed to monitor the world's glaciers primarily using data from optical satellite instruments, aims to change that.
Spotlight
In 1993, NASA contracted the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder to steward snow- and ice-related data, forming the NSIDC DAAC. The year 2023 marks 30 years that NSIDC has operated the NASA snow and ice DAAC.