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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.

Version Description

Changes to this version include:
  • Intercalbration techniques between SMMR and F08, as well as F08 and F11 were changed to match sea ice area rather than sea ice extent.
  • Ocean tie points now change each day (similar to the ice tie points) based on brightness temperatures for that day.
  • The threshold for the lower limit for ice was relaxed to allow retrieval of ice at 10 percent ice concentration.

    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
    Projects
    PM-LT
    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 2022-12-31
    Temporal Resolution
    Varies
    Concept ID
    C2985422282-NSIDC_CPRD
    Data State
    DEPRECATED
    Number of Files/Granules
    0
    Processing Level
    3
    Published
    Updated
    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. (2017). Bootstrap Sea Ice Concentrations from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS, Version 3 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/7Q8HCCWS4I0R Date Accessed: 2026-10-07

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    Publications Citing This Dataset

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    Title Authors Year Referenced Datasets
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