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.
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Since continuous satellite records began in the early 1970s, Northern Hemisphere snow cover has declined overall. The largest losses have occurred in spring and summer, outweighing modest autumn and winter gains. Though the overall trend is significant, it does not capture all the details, such as how snow cover changes vary by location and season.
Analysis - Snow Today
A snow drought has gripped the US West. January has set a record for lowest snow cover in 26 years of satellite monitoring. Although snow water equivalent (SWE) had some increases at almost all monitoring stations, many still finished the month with below-average SWE.
Spotlight
On July 31, 2025, the NASA NSIDC DAAC released ATL03 global geolocated photon data in cloud-optimized HDF5, making ICESat-2 one of NASA’s first missions to publish data in this format. The new format improves speed and scalability and offers potential cost-saving and time-saving benefits for cloud-based science and research.
Spotlight
Representatives from NSIDC will be attending the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting 2025, either virtually or in person in New Orleans, to share their expertise in data management and research in the cryospheric sciences, and to conne
Spotlight
The NSIDC DAAC and NOAA@NSIDC archive and distribute data sets relevant to maritime navigation in the polar regions. Although they are not up-to-the-minute products for operational navigation, they provide climatological data for planning, risk assessments, and feasibility studies.
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
Beginning October 15, 2025, NSIDC’s Ice Sheets Today services will be reduced because of non-renewed funding.