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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 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/X5LG68MH013O Date Accessed: 2026-08-24

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

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Title Year Author Topic
The changing CO2 sink in the western Arctic Ocean from 1994 to 2019 Ouyang, Zhangxian, Li, Yun, Qi, Di, Zhong, Wenli, Murata, Akihiko, Nishino, Shigeto, Wu, Yingxu, Jin, Meibing, Kirchman, David, Chen, Liqi, Cai, WeiJun Sea Ice Concentration
Insight on Poleward Moisture and Energy Transport into the Arctic from Sun, Weifu, Liang, Yu, Bi, Haibo, Zhao, Yujia, Meng, Junmin, Zhang, Jie Sea Ice Concentration
Evaluating sea ice thickness simulation is critical for projecting a summer ice-free Arctic Ocean Zhou, Xiao, Wang, Bin, Huang, Fei Sea Ice Concentration
Statistical Seasonal Forecasting of Winter and Spring PM2.5 Jeong, Dajeong, Yoo, Changhyun, Yeh, Sang-Wook, Yoon, Jin-Ho, Lee, Daegyun, Lee, Jae-Bum, Choi, Jin-Young Sea Ice Concentration
The Seasonal-to-Multiyear Large Ensemble (SMYLE) prediction system using Yeager, Stephen G., Rosenbloom, Nan, Glanville, Anne A., Wu, Xian, Simpson, Isla, Li, Hui, Molina, Maria J., Krumhardt, Kristen, Mogen, Samuel, Lindsay, Keith, Lombardozzi, Danica, Wieder, Will, Kim, Who M., Richter, Jadwiga H., Long, Matthew, Danabasoglu, Gokhan, Bailey, David, Holland, Marika, Lovenduski, Nicole, Strand, Warren G., King, Teagan Sea Ice Concentration
Probabilistic Forecasts of Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Gao, Peter A., Director, Hannah M., Bitz, Cecilia M., Raftery, Adrian E. Sea Ice Concentration
Reassessing seasonal sea ice predictability of the Pacific-Arctic sector Wang, Yunhe, Yuan, Xiaojun, Bi, Haibo, Bushuk, Mitchell, Liang, Yu, Li, Cuihua, Huang, Haijun Sea Ice Concentration
Satellite-detected phytoplankton blooms in the Japan/East Sea during the past two decades: Magnitude and timing Wang, Dingqi, Fang, Guohong, Jiang, Shumin, Xu, Qinzeng, Wang, Guanlin, Wei, Zexun, Wang, Yonggang, Xu, Tengfei Sea Ice Concentration
Seasonal Water Mass Evolution and NonRedfield Dynamics Enhance CO2 Uptake in the Chukchi Sea Ouyang, Zhangxian, Collins, Andrew, Li, Yun, Qi, Di, Arrigo, Kevin R., Zhuang, Yanpei, Nishino, Shigeto, Humphreys, Matthew P., Kosugi, Naohiro, Murata, Akihiko, Kirchman, David L., Chen, Liqi, Chen, Jianfang, Cai, WeiJun Sea Ice Concentration
Assessing CryoSat2 Antarctic Snow Freeboard Retrievals Using Data From ICESat2 Fons, S. W., Kurtz, N. T., Bagnardi, M., Petty, A. A., Tilling, R. L. Sea Ice Concentration, Freeboard
Influence of Melt Ponds on the SSMIS-Based Summer Sea Ice Concentrations Zhao, Jiechen, Yu, Yining, Cheng, Jingjing, Guo, Honglin, Li, Chunhua, Shu, Qi Sea Ice Concentration
Assessment and ranking of climate models in Arctic Sea ice cover simulation: From CMIP5 to CMIP6 Shen, Zili, Duan, Anmin, Li, Dongliang, Li, Jinxiao Sea Ice Concentration
An Overview of Ocean Climate Change Indicators: Sea Surface Temperature, Ocean Heat Content, Ocean pH, Dissolved Oxygen Concentration, Arctic Sea Ice Extent, Thickness and Volume, Sea Level and Strength of the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning… Garcia-Soto, Carlos, Cheng, Lijing, Caesar, Levke, Schmidtko, S., Jewett, Elizabeth B., Cheripka, Alicia, Rigor, Ignatius, Caballero, Ainhoa, Chiba, Sanae, Baez, Jose Carlos, Zielinski, Tymon, Abraham, John Patrick Sea Ice Concentration
Arctic open-water periods are projected to lengthen dramatically by 2100 Crawford, Alex, Stroeve, Julienne, Smith, Abigail, Jahn, Alexandra Sea Ice Concentration
Impacts of strong wind events on sea ice and water mass properties in Antarctic coastal polynyas Wang, Xiaoqiao, Zhang, Zhaoru, Wang, Xuezhu, Vihma, Timo, Zhou, Meng, Yu, Lejiang, Uotila, Petteri, Sein, Dmitry V. Sea Ice Concentration
On the Origin of Discrepancies Between Observed and Simulated Memory of Giesse, Celine, Notz, Dirk, Baehr, Johanna Sea Ice Concentration
Optimal combination of Arctic sea ice extent measures: A dynamic factor modeling approach Diebold, Francis X., Gobel, Maximilian, Goulet Coulombe, Philippe, Rudebusch, Glenn D., Zhang, Boyuan Sea Ice Concentration
Changes in elevation and mass of Arctic glaciers and ice caps, 20102017 Tepes, P., Gourmelen, N., Nienow, P., Tsamados, M., Shepherd, A., Weissgerber, F. Terrain Elevation, Sea Ice Concentration
Modeling Phytoplankton Blooms and Inorganic Carbon Responses to SeaIce Variability in the West Antarctic Peninsula Schultz, C., Doney, S. C., Hauck, J., Kavanaugh, M. T., Schofield, O. Sea Ice Concentration
Increasing confidence in projecting the Arctic ice-free year with Wang, Bin, Zhou, Xiao, Ding, Qinghua, Liu, Jiping Sea Ice Concentration
Evaluation of Arctic Sea-ice Cover and Thickness Simulated by MITgcm Zheng, Fei, Sun, Yue, Yang, Qinghua, Mu, Longjiang Sea Ice Concentration
Spaceborne infrared imagery for early detection of Weddell Polynya opening Heuze, Celine, Zhou, Lu, Mohrmann, Martin, Lemos, Adriano Sea Ice Concentration
PROBABILISTIC FORECASTING OF THE ARCTIC SEA ICE EDGE WITH CONTOUR Director, Hannah M., Raftery, Adrian E., Bitz, Cecilia M. Sea Ice Concentration
Role of Extratropical Wintertime Cyclones in Regulating the Variations Liang, Yu, Bi, Haibo, Wang, Yunhe, Huang, Haijun, Zhang, Zehua, Huang, Jue, Liu, Yanxia Sea Ice Concentration
Role of intense Arctic storm in accelerating summer sea ice melt: An in situ observational study Peng, Liran, Zhang, Xiangdong, Kim, JooHong, Cho, KyoungHo, Kim, BaekMin, Wang, Zhaomin, Tang, Han Sea Ice Concentration
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