N: 86.7167 S: -86.7167 E: 179.9999 W: -179.9999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Description
This data set, part of the NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) program, contains a global record of the daily freeze/thaw status of the landscape. The record is derived from radiometric brightness temperatures acquired between 1979 and 2021 by four satellite-based, passive microwave sensors: the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS), and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2).
Version Description
This version update includes:
• Extended F/T record to 2021;
• Applied modified seasonal threshold algorithm (MSTA) for the F/T classification where MSTA Tb reference F/T conditions are calibrated annually for each pixel using ERA5 (Hersbach et al., 2018) daily surface air temperature (SAT) records;
• Constant threshold applied over global permanent snow/ice regions to determine the F/T state when the correlation (r-value) between ERA5 SAT and brightness temperature (Tb) is low (absolute value of r less than 0.5). The constant Tb threshold used to distinguish F/T events was determined annually using mean Tb threshold values derived from pixels with higher correlation (absolute value of r greater than 0.5) between SSM/I Tb and ERA5 SAT;
• Applied diurnal amplitude variation (DAV) of Tb from ascending and descending orbital overpass retrievals as an additional step to confirm thaw condition for the PM overpass only;
• Updated quality control (QC) flags included in the product granules identifying grid cells and days with missing and interpolated Tb observations, and characterizing extensive open water bodies, complex terrain, and precipitation events;
• Updated annual data quality assurance (QA) maps included to indicate product performance and reliability.
Product Summary
Platforms
Spatial Extent
Spatial Resolution
25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers
Spatial Reference System(s)
NSIDC EASE-Grid Global (EPSG:3410)
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
1979-01-01 to 2023-12-31
Temporal Resolution
12 Hour
Concept ID
C3287097610-NSIDC_CPRD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
49401
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
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.
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Citation Copied
Kim, Y., Kimball, J., Du, J., & Glassy, J. (2021). MEaSUREs Global Record of Daily Landscape Freeze/Thaw Status, Version 5 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/LJ6SLXNJB2CQ Date Accessed: 2026-06-08
Kim, Y., Kimball, J., Du, J., & Glassy, J. (2021). MEaSUREs Global Record of Daily Landscape Freeze/Thaw Status, Version 5 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/LJ6SLXNJB2CQ Date Accessed: 2026-06-08
Kim, Youngwook, et al. “MEaSUREs Global Record of Daily Landscape Freeze/Thaw Status, Version 5.” NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center, 2021, https://doi.org/10.5067/LJ6SLXNJB2CQ. Date Accessed: 2026-06-08
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Publications Citing This Dataset
Filters
| Title | Year Sort ascending | Author | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreezeThaw Dynamics Reshape Climatic Control of Spring Phenology Across Northern Ecosystems | Wu, Shuai, Zhang, Yu, Guo, Kang, Luo, Geping, Han, Yonglong, Yan, Wei, Ma, Xiaofei | Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Emissivity, Land Surface Temperature, Freeze/Thaw | |
| Regional hotspots of change in northern high latitudes informed by observations from space | Watts, Jennifer D., Potter, Stefano, Rogers, Brendan M., Virkkala, AnnaMaria, Fiske, Greg, Arndt, Kyle A., Burrell, Arden, Butler, Kevin, Gerlt, Bob, Grayson, John, Shestakova, Tatiana A., Du, Jinyang, Kim, Youngwook, Parmentier, FransJan W., Natali, Susan M. | Vegetation Index, Landscape Patterns, Carbonaceous Aerosols, Nitrogen Oxides, Particulates, Hydrogen Cyanide, Emissions, Non-methane Hydrocarbons/Volatile Organic Compounds, Particulate Matter, Fire Occurrence, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Moisture, Snow Cover, Seasonally Frozen Ground, Air Temperature, Active Layer, Vapor Pressure, Surface Water, Cryospheric Indicators, Vegetation Cover, Vegetation Optical Depth, Precipitation Trends, Freeze/Thaw | |
| Global estimates of daily evapotranspiration using SMAP surface and root-zone soil moisture | Kim, Youngwook, Park, Hotaek, Kimball, John S., Colliander, Andreas, McCabe, Matthew F. | Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Evapotranspiration, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Soil Porosity, Carbon, Organic Matter, Soil Chemistry, Soil Ph, Water Table, Vegetation Cover, Soil Classification, Geomorphic Landforms/Processes, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Soil Bulk Density, Soil Classification, Soil Color, Soil Depth, Soil Horizons/Profile, Soil Structure, Drainage, Soil Texture, Terrain Elevation, Surface Soil Moisture, Freeze/Thaw | |
| A Novel Freeze-Thaw State Detection Algorithm Based on L-Band Passive | Lv, Shaoning, Wen, Jun, Simmer, Clemens, Zeng, Yijian, Guo, Yuanyuan, Su, Zhongbo | Freeze/Thaw | |
| A statistical framework for assessing temperature controls on landscape Freeze-Thaw: Application and implications in Quebec, Canada (19792016) | Hatami, Shadi, Nazemi, Ali | Freeze/Thaw | |
| Informing improvements in freeze/thaw state classification using subpixel temperature | Johnston, Jeremy M., Houser, Paul R., Maggioni, Viviana, Kim, Rhae Sung, Vuyovich, Carrie | Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Freeze/Thaw | |
| Diagnosing environmental controls on vegetation greening and browning trends over Alaska and Northwest Canada using complementary satellite observations | Kim, Youngwook, Kimball, John S., Parazoo, Nicholas, Kirchner, Peter | Surface Soil Moisture, Freeze/Thaw, Gross Primary Production (gpp), Heterotrophic Respiration (rh), NET ECOSYSTEM CO2 EXCHANGE (NEE), Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) | |
| Siberian 2020 heatwave increased spring CO2 uptake but not | Kwon, Min Jung, Ballantyne, Ashley, Ciais, Philippe, Bastos, Ana, Chevallier, Frederic, Liu, Zhihua, Green, Julia K, Qiu, Chunjing, Kimball, John S | Freeze/Thaw | |
| Increasing riverine heat influx triggers Arctic sea ice decline and oceanic and atmospheric warming | Park, Hotaek, Watanabe, Eiji, Kim, Youngwook, Polyakov, Igor, Oshima, Kazuhiro, Zhang, Xiangdong, Kimball, John S., Yang, Daqing | Freeze/Thaw | |
| Comparing global passive microwave freeze/thaw records: Investigating differences between Ka-and L-band products | Johnston, Jeremy, Maggioni, Viviana, Houser, Paul | Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Evapotranspiration, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Freeze/Thaw, Transition Direction | |
| Investigating the relationship between satellite-based freeze/thaw products and land surface temperature | Johnston, Jeremy, Maggioni, Viviana, Houser, Paul | Emissivity, Land Surface Temperature, Surface Pressure, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Evaporation, Humidity, Convection, Surface Winds, Rain, Heat Flux, Evapotranspiration, Snow, Canopy Characteristics, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Albedo, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Freeze/Thaw, Transition Direction | |
| Global Assessment of the SMAP Freeze/Thaw Data Record and Regional | Kim, Youngwook, Kimball, John S., Xu, Xiaolan, Dunbar, R. Scott, Colliander, Andreas, Derksen, Chris | Transition Direction, Brightness Temperature, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Reflectance, Total Surface Water, Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Freeze/Thaw |
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