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Sea Ice Data Access and Tools

NASA has sea ice datasets that help researchers characterize the presence and extent of ice in the ocean. Access a range of data and data tools such as AppEEARS, Worldview, and Giovanni to make the most of sea ice data.

Sea Ice Datasets

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Dataset Version Platforms Instruments Temporal Extent Spatial Extent Spatial Resolution Data Format
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere State of Cryosphere Daily 25km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001 1 DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Terra SSM/I, SSMIS, MODIS 1999-01-01 to 2012-12-31

N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180

25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere State of Cryosphere Weekly 100km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001 1 DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Nimbus-7 SSM/I, SSMIS, SMMR 1979-01-02 to 2012-12-31

N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180

100 Kilometers x 100 Kilometers netCDF-4
MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXFLX) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_int_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXINT) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXOCN) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavg3_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,3-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T3NXGLC) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXFLX) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXGLC) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_int_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXINT) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXOCN) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

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

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Featured Sea Ice Observation Method: ICESat-2
NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) carries a laser altimeter scientists use to measure the elevation of ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and more in unprecedented, 3-D detail. The satellite also measures heights across Earth's temperate and tropical regions, and takes stock of the vegetation in forests worldwide.
Learn More About ICESat-2
six vertical bands showing various satellite images

New Low Latency ICESat-2 Datasets

The five new datasets are the result of a joint effort by NASA’s Satellite Needs Working Group Management Office (SNWG MO), ICESat-2 team, and Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE).
3 MIN READ

Sea Ice Data Tools

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Tool Description Services
OpenAltimetry OpenAltimetry is a map-based visualization tool for exploring surface elevation data across Earth over time. Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization
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