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

Arctic sea ice extent remained about a standard deviation below average for the month of December. Compared to recent years, 2014 as a whole was rather unremarkable.

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Feature Story
When ice shelves retreat, the brakes are lifted and glaciers begin to accelerate. “The Antarctic Peninsula is a natural laboratory, a kind of glimpse into the future of Antarctica,” says Ted Scambos, lead researcher at NSIDC.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

While the U.S. experienced extreme weather in November, conditions in the Arctic were fairly ordinary. Arctic sea ice in November followed a fairly average growth pace.

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Feature Story
NSIDC researcher Shari Gearheard collaborates with Inuit hunters and Elders, and seven other editors, to document Inuit knowledge in a book, "The Meaning of Ice: People and Sea Ice in Three Arctic Communities." The book recently won the 2014 William Mills Prize for Non-Fiction Polar Books, awarded by the Polar Libraries Colloquy.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

Arctic sea ice continued to expand throughout the month of October, remaining at near-average levels on the Atlantic side and below average on the Pacific side.