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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Antarctic sea ice extent NASA Blue Marble Image from September 10, 2023
News Release
Antarctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 16.96 million square kilometers (6.55 million square miles) on September 10, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The 2023 maximum is the lowest in the 45-year satellite record.
Arctic sea ice extent, September 19, 2023
News Release
Arctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 4.23 million square kilometers (1.63 million square miles) on September 19, 2023, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The 2023 minimum is ranked sixth lowest in the nearly 45-year satellite record.
This plot shows the departure from average air temperature in the Arctic at the 925 hPa level, in degrees Celsius, from August 15 to 31, 2023. Yellows and reds indicate higher than average temperatures; blues and purples indicate lower than average temperatures.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

Both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice appear to be heading toward their respective seasonal limits, reaching the lowest extent at the end of summer in the north, and the highest extent as winter ends in the south.

Asperitas clouds linger over the southern Greenland town of Narsaq on August 22, 2023.
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
A strong weather pattern from August 21 to 24 caused widespread melting across Greenland. This unusually late summer melt event was caused by a high and low air pressure configuration known as an omega pattern because of its jet stream shape.
Research huts in mountains
Spotlight
The Contribution to High Asia Runoff (CHARIS) project began in 2012 and ended in 2019. The project aimed to distinguish between input from seasonal snow melt and glacier ice melt to High Asia rivers.