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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This plot shows average sea level pressure in the Arctic in millibars from June 1 to 15, 2024
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

July is the warmest month in the Arctic and hence also the month of peak sea ice loss. As of the middle of July 2024, extent is declining at an above average pace.

Sea ice extent time series for Arctic, Antarctic, and the globe
Ask a Scientist
Depending on who is using the data and to what end, sea ice data can be misread and even used in disinformation campaigns about Earth’s climate. Here, NSIDC discusses five common misuses of sea ice data.
This plot shows the difference in sea ice thickness between April 2024 and the 2011 to 2023 April average.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

The Arctic sea ice cover in June 2024 retreated at a below average pace, leading to a larger total sea ice extent for the month than in recent years. Many areas of open water have developed along the Arctic Ocean coast.

Antarctic sea ice
Ask a Scientist
After decades of watching Arctic sea ice extent drop as climate warms, scientists are eager to know if climate change has finally caught up to Antarctic sea ice. Several recent studies explore that idea using statistical analysis of sea ice extent data from the NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA@NSIDC).
The edge of Greenland Ice Sheet in summer
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
On April 25, 2024, a moderately strong melt event kicked things off early on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Since then, however, the melt season has been fairly typical. Snowfall in early June blanketed exposed ice, which will slow the onset of more intense melting and run off for the next few weeks. Overall, melting in Greenland has remained well above the 1980s and 1990s levels since 2013, but the 2012 season remains a distinct record.