We are in the process of migrating all NASA Earth science data sites into Earthdata from now until end of 2026. Not all NASA Earth science data and resources will appear here until then. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.
Read about the Web Unification Project
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
| Dataset Sort descending | Version | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel-1B Dual Polarization Medium Resolution Ground Range Detected Product Metadata | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Level 0 Product | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Level 0 Product Metadata | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Look Complex Product | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Look Complex Product Metadata | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Polarization High Resolution Ground Range Detected Product | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Polarization High Resolution Ground Range Detected Product Metadata | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Polarization Medium Resolution Ground Range Detected Product | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| Sentinel-1B Single Polarization Medium Resolution Ground Range Detected Product Metadata | 1 | Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| SMMR/Nimbus-7 Color Images V001 (SMMRN7IM) at GES DISC | 001 | Nimbus-7 | SMMR | 1978-10-30 to 1983-11-02 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers | |
| SnowEx21 Time Series Snow Pits V001 | 1 | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS | A2 Photonic_WISe, GPS, SNOW DENSITY CUTTER, THERMOMETERS | 2020-11-16 to 2021-05-27 |
N: 47.0607 S: 37.9071 E: -105.86093 W: -116.12351 |
CSV, Excel, JPEG | |
| SnowEx23 Apr23 IOP Snow Pit Measurements V001 | 1 | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS | A2 Photonic_WISe, GPS, MICROSCOPES, SNOW DENSITY CUTTER, THERMOMETERS | 2023-04-01 to 2023-04-18 |
N: 65.16124 S: 63.8631 E: -145.72673 W: -147.72499 |
CSV | |
| SnowEx23 Mar23 Snow Pit Measurements V001 | 1 | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS | A2 Photonic_WISe, GPS, MICROSCOPES, SNOW DENSITY CUTTER, THERMOMETERS | 2022-03-07 to 2023-03-16 |
N: 70.08434 S: 64.69925 E: -147.48583 W: -149.59716 |
CSV, Excel, JPEG, PDF | |
| SnowEx23 Oct22 IOP Snow Pits and Substrate Conditions at Freeze Up V001 | 1 | GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS | GPS, MICROSCOPES, SWE Sampler, THERMOMETERS | 2022-10-22 to 2022-10-27 |
N: 70.08434 S: 64.69925 E: -147.48583 W: -149.59716 |
CSV, Excel, JPEG | |
| Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) L1-L3 Ancillary NOAA Data V001 | 1 | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 2015-01-31 to Present |
N: 86.4 S: -86.4 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-3, ASCII | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Interim Data Product | 2.0 | SWOT | AMR | 2022-12-16 |
N: 77.6 S: -77.6 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Interim Data Product, Version 1.0 | 1.0 | SWOT | AMR | 2022-12-16 |
N: 77.6 S: -77.6 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Interim Data Product Version D | D | SWOT | AMR | 2022-12-16 |
N: 77.6 S: -77.6 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Operational Data Product | 2.0 | SWOT | AMR | 2022-12-16 |
N: 77.6 S: -77.6 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Operational Data Product, Version 1.0 | 1.0 | SWOT | AMR | 2022-12-16 |
N: 77.6 S: -77.6 E: 180 W: -180 |
netCDF-4 | |
| SWOT Level 2 Radiometer Brightness Temperatures and Troposphere Operational Data Product Version D | D | 2022-12-16 | netCDF-4 | ||||
| VIIRS/JPSS1 Ice Surface Temperature 6-Min L2 Swath 750m NRT | 2 | NOAA-20 | VIIRS | 2023-10-10 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
750 Meters x 750 Meters | NetCDF |
| VIIRS/JPSS1 Ice Surface Temperature 6-Min L2 Swath 750m V002 | 2 | JPSS-1, NOAA-20 | VIIRS | 2018-01-05 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
750 Meters x 750 Meters | netCDF-4 |
| VIIRS/JPSS1 Ice Surface Temperature Daily L3 Global 750m EASE-Grid 2.0 Day V002 | 2 | JPSS-1, NOAA-20 | VIIRS | 2018-01-05 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
750 Meters x 750 Meters | HDF-EOS5 |
| VIIRS/JPSS1 Ice Surface Temperature Daily L3 Global 750m EASE-Grid 2.0 Night V002 | 2 | JPSS-1, NOAA-20 | VIIRS | 2018-01-05 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
750 Meters x 750 Meters | HDF-EOS5 |
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.
Data from NASA’s ICESat-2 mission provide incredibly accurate measurements of Earth elevation change—and much more.
8 MIN READ
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
ATL24, a new space-based lidar product, provides bathymetry data that can be used to characterize nearshore habitats and create safer maritime transportation channels.
This is the first in a five-part webinar series to introduce NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation-2 (ICESat-2) platform and the platform's data, tools, and applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthdata Forum
Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.
Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses