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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
| Dataset | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Freeboard V007 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2018-10-14 to Present | SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, NORTHERN HEMISPHERE | HDF5 |
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height Quick Look V007 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2025-06-08 to Present | NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE | HDF5 |
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height V006 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2018-10-14 to 2025-03-02 | NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE | HDF5 |
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height V007 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2018-10-14 to Present | GLOBAL OCEAN | HDF5 |
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Daily and Monthly Gridded Sea Ice Freeboard V004 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2018-10-14 to 2025-02-28 | GLOBAL OCEAN | HDF5 |
| ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Daily and Monthly Gridded Sea Ice Freeboard V005 | ICESat-2 | ATLAS | 2018-10-14 to Present | POLAR | HDF5 |
| Bootstrap Sea Ice Concentrations from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS V004 | DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Nimbus-7 | SSM/I, SSMIS, SMMR | 1978-11-01 to Present | ANTARCTICA, ARCTIC, POLAR, DAVIS STRAIT, GULF OF ST LAWRENCE | netCDF-4 |
| CryoSat-2 Level-1B Waveforms, Sea Ice Elevation, and Surface Roughness V001 | CRYOSAT-2 | SIRAL | 2010-09-15 to Present | ARCTIC | netCDF-3 |
| CryoSat-2 Level-4 Sea Ice Elevation, Freeboard, and Thickness V001 | CRYOSAT-2, DMSP 5D-3/F17 | SIRAL, SSMIS | 2010-09-20 to Present | ARCTIC | PNG, netCDF-3 |
| ECCO Sea-Ice and Snow Concentration and Thickness - Daily Mean 0.5 Degree (Version 4 Release 4) | MODELS, MITgcm | 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 | GLOBAL OCEAN | netCDF-4 |
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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.
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.
Sea Ice Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | 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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