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Description

This sea ice concentration data set was derived using measurements from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) on the Nimbus-7 satellite and from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) sensors on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) -F8, -F11, and -F13 satellites. Measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) aboard DMSP-F17 are also included. The data set has been generated using the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) Bootstrap Algorithm with daily varying tie-points. Daily (every other day prior to July 1987) and monthly data are available for both the north and south polar regions. Data are gridded on the SSM/I polar stereographic grid (25 x 25 km) and provided in two-byte integer format. Data coverage began on 01 November 1978 and is ongoing through the most current processing, with updated data processed several times annually.

Version Description

The NSIDC DAAC repackaged the data fields provided by GSFC in CF-compliant NetCDF files.

Product Summary

Platforms
DMSP 5D-2/F11 ,
DMSP 5D-2/F13 ,
DMSP 5D-2/F8 ,
DMSP 5D-3/F17 ,
Nimbus-7
Instruments
SSM/I ,
SSMIS ,
SMMR
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: 30 E: 180 W: -180

,

N: -39 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers
Spatial Reference System(s)
Multiple EPSG codes (see User Guide)
Location
ANTARCTICA ,
HUDSON BAY ,
ARCTIC ,
POLAR ,
ARCTIC OCEAN ,
BELLINGSHAUSEN SEA ,
BERING SEA ,
DAVIS STRAIT ,
GULF OF ST LAWRENCE ,
INDIAN OCEAN ,
PACIFIC OCEAN ,
ROSS SEA ,
SEA OF OKHOTSK ,
WEDDELL SEA
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
1978-11-01 to Present
Temporal Resolution
Varies
Concept ID
C3177837864-NSIDC_CPRD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
35580
Processing Level
3
Published
Science Keywords
Sea Ice Concentration

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Comiso, J. (2023). Bootstrap Sea Ice Concentrations from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS, Version 4 [Data set]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/X5LG68MH013O Date Accessed: 2026-04-29

Documents

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Enhancing sea ice knowledge through assimilation of sea ice thickness from ENVISAT and CS2SMOS Williams, Nicholas, Wang, Yiguo, Counillon, Francois Sea Ice Concentration
The observed evolution of Arctic amplification over the past 45 years Serreze, Mark C., Cassano, Elizabeth, Crawford, Alex, Cassano, John J., Zhang, Chen Sea Ice Concentration
Water Versus Land on Temperate Rocky Planets Guimond, Claire Marie, Spohn, Tilman, Berdyugina, Svetlana, Byrne, Paul K., Coltice, Nicolas, Glaser, Donald M., Lingam, Manasvi, Lineweaver, Charles H., Cawood, Peter A. Sea Ice Concentration
Constraints on the Projected Tropical SST Response to Greenhouse Warming Geng, YuFan, Song, Fengfei, Dong, Lu, Luo, Fengyun Sea Ice Concentration
Half a century of dynamic instability following the ocean-driven break-up of Wordie Ice Shelf Dmgaard, Mads, Millan, Romain, Andersen, Jonas K., Scheuchl, Bernd, Rignot, Eric, Izeboud, Maaike, Bernat, Maud, Bjrk, Anders A. Grounding Line, Sea Ice Concentration
Image reconstruction of Arctic sea ice using SWIM data at small incidence angles Bi, Wenlong, Yu, Hui, Zhang, Xi, Yan, Ran, Xu, Ying, Guo, Maohua, Wang, Ning, Li, Yinghui, Zhang, Yifan, Lu, Yanting, Bi, Xinyi, Liu, Meijie Sea Ice Concentration
Future Antarctic marine accessibility in a warming world Hou, Yaqi, Min, Chao, Lin, Yichen, Luo, Hao, Shu, Qi, Liu, Jiping, Yang, Qinghua Sea Ice Concentration
Formation and fate of freshwater on an ice floe in the Central Arctic Smith, Madison M., Fuchs, Niels, Salganik, Evgenii, Perovich, Donald K., Raphael, Ian, Granskog, Mats A., Schulz, Kirstin, Shupe, Matthew D., Webster, Melinda Sea Ice Concentration
Implications of Realistic Antarctic Ice Shelf Basal Melting During Zhu, Zhu, Liu, Jiping, Liu, Yan, Martin, Torge, Song, Mirong, Yang, ChaoYuan, Chai, Wenmi, Yang, Qinghua Sea Ice Concentration
Less ice, more predators: passive acoustic monitoring shows variation in killer whale (Orcinus orca) presence in the US Arctic with declining sea ice Kimber, Brynn M., Braen, Eric K., Wright, Dana L., Harlacher, Jenna M., Crance, Jessica L., Berchok, Catherine L. Sea Ice Concentration
Increased future ocean heat uptake constrained by Antarctic sea ice extent Vogt, Linus, de Lavergne, Casimir, Sallee, Jean-Baptiste, Kwiatkowski, Lester, Frolicher, Thomas L., Terhaar, Jens Sea Ice Concentration
Subglacial Discharge Effects on Antarctic Ice Shelf Basal Melt and the Southern Ocean in a Global, Coupled OceanSea Ice Model Vankova, Irena, AsayDavis, Xylar, Branecky Begeman, Carolyn, Comeau, Darin, Hager, Alexander, Hoffman, Matthew, Price, Stephen F., Wolfe, Jonathan Ice Velocity, Sea Ice Concentration
Uncertainty in the projected Antarctic contribution to sea level due to internal climate variability Caillet, Justine, Jourdain, Nicolas C., Mathiot, Pierre, Gillet-Chaulet, Fabien, Urruty, Benoit, Burgard, Clara, Amory, Charles, Chekki, Mondher, Kittel, Christoph Sea Ice Concentration
Baffin Bay Ice Export and Production From Sentinel-1, the RADARSAT Howell, S. E. L., Babb, D. G., Landy, J. C., Moore, G. W. K., Ballinger, T. J., McNeil, K., Montpetit, B., Brady, M. Sea Ice Concentration
Impact of ocean heat transport on sea ice captured by a simple energy balance model Aylmer, Jake R., Ferreira, David, Feltham, Daniel L. Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Air Temperature, Atmospheric Winds, Surface Winds, U/V Wind Components, Atmospheric Pressure, Sea Level Pressure, Surface Pressure, Specific Humidity, Total Precipitable Water, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Atmospheric Ozone, Oxygen Compounds, Altitude, Boundary Layer Winds, Sea Ice Concentration
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