NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC)
Enabling researchers and data users to better understand how changes in the cryosphere impact our planet.
Catch up on news and stories about how NSIDC DAAC data are being used in research, as well as spotlights on how you can use the data, tools and resources we offer. If you are using NSIDC DAAC data in your research, teaching, or some other way, let us know and we may feature your work in our next article. Share your story with us today.
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NSIDC celebrates 50 years in operation as of September 2026. In 1976, the United States celebrated its bicentennial, disco topped the charts, and no one had yet seen a Star Wars movie. That same year, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) opened its doors.
As NSIDC reflects on 50 years in operation, past and present NSIDC researchers round up their favorite and most impactful publications. Also included are NSIDC contributions to annual reports: the Arctic Report Card and the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society’s State of the Climate.
Since its inception, the Arctic Report Card has relied upon NSIDC scientists as authors and/or editors nearly every year, and incorporated NSIDC data in every single issue.
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.
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 connect
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.