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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Analysis - Sea Ice Today
On March 1, Antarctic sea ice likely reached its minimum extent of 1.98 million square kilometers (764,000 square miles), tying for second lowest extent with 2022 and 2024 in the 47-year satellite record. This is the fourth consecutive year that Antarctic sea ice has reached a minimum below 2.0 million square kilometers (772,000 square miles).
Analysis - Snow Today
Snow-covered area in February across the western United States was 13 percent below average, at 822,000 square kilometers (317,000 square miles) of snow cover, ranking sixteenth highest in the 25-year satellite record (Table 1). Snow-covered area for February was about half of the area of the record high year, 2023, and 264,000 square kilometers (102,000 square miles) more than February 2003, the lowest year on record.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today
Arctic sea ice growth was slow in February, leaving extent at record-low levels for the end of the month. In the Antarctic, the annual minimum in extent is imminent, and near a record low.
Spotlight
A new study focuses on improving global temperature data sets in light of uneven warming across the globe. To fill gaps in historical climate records, the study relies in part on sea ice data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NOAA@NSIDC).
News Release
A new review paper, led by NSIDC senior research scientist Julienne Stroeve and published in Science on February 6, 2025, highlights the changes that will occur in the Arctic by 2100 because of global warming, and their far-reaching implications.
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
Surface melting for the Antarctic ice sheet appears to have set a record for the 46-year satellite observation period on January 2, 2025. All areas of the Antarctic coast that generally see significant summertime melting continue to accumulate melt days at a faster-than-average pace, except along the northern West Antarctic ice shelves, which are now near-average.