The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Version 1 (Collection 1) snow and sea ice data sets will cease forward processing on June 17, 2024. Although Version 1 data will remain available for download for several months, NSIDC strongly encourages users to transition to VIIRS Version 2 (Collection 2) prior to the 17th.
Version 2 includes 13 new L2 and L3 data sets from both the NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-20 (NOAA-20) satellite. It also includes the following improvements over Version 1 data:
- Snow cover, sea ice, and ice surface temperature algorithms are more compatible with MODIS Collection 6.1 algorithms, providing a more extensive, multi-sensor climate data record.
- Cloud masking has been improved.
- Noise detection has been enhanced and over-noisy detectors are now better averaged.
The NSIDC DAAC provides access to the VIIRS Version 2 (Collection 2) data and documentation at the following location: NSIDC DAAC VIIRS Data Collection.
Update 06/04/2024 - Users can read more information on the plan to terminate forward processing here: https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/alerts-and-issues/141018.