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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

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
VIIRS/NPP Ice Surface Temperature 6-Min L2 Swath 750m V002	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	750 Meters x 750 Meters	netCDF-4
VIIRS/NPP Ice Surface Temperature Daily L3 Global 750m EASE-Grid 2.0 Day V002	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	750 Meters x 750 Meters	HDF-EOS5
VIIRS/NPP Ice Surface Temperature Daily L3 Global 750m EASE-Grid 2.0 Night V002	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	750 Meters x 750 Meters	HDF-EOS5
VIIRS/NPP Sea Ice Cover 6-Min L2 Swath 375 m V001	1	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to 2024-06-17	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	375 Meters x 375 Meters	netCDF-4
VIIRS/NPP Sea Ice Cover 6-Min L2 Swath 375m	1	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	375 Meters x 375 Meters	NetCDF
VIIRS/NPP Sea Ice Cover 6-Min L2 Swath 375m V002	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	375 Meters x 375 Meters	netCDF-4
VIIRS/NPP Sea Ice Cover Daily L3 Global 375m EASE-Grid 2.0 Day V002	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	375 Meters x 375 Meters	HDF-EOS5
VIIRS/NPP Sea Ice Extent 6-Min L2 Swath 375m NRT	2	Suomi-NPP	VIIRS	2023-10-10 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	375 Meters x 375 Meters	NetCDF-4

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.

Earthdata graphic identifier on top of image of Earth

ICESat-2 Data Usher in a New Age of Exploration

Data from NASA’s ICESat-2 mission provide incredibly accurate measurements of Earth elevation change—and much more.

8 MIN READ

six vertical bands showing various satellite images

New Low Latency ICESat-2 Datasets

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

This true-color image of Kiriwina Island in in Papua New Guinea shows the 55 tracks of ATL24 bathymetry data.

New Global ICESat-2 Bathymetric Data Fills Near-Shore Data Voids

ATL24, a new space-based lidar product, provides bathymetry data that can be used to characterize nearshore habitats and create safer maritime transportation channels.

Location of NASA ICESat-2 (ATL13) data (Inland Water Product) from April 25, 2023 over Lake Powell, Utah, United States, viewed in OpenAltimetry.

Laser Altimetry Applications for a Changing World: Explore ICESat-2 Data

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

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Items

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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Frequently Asked Questions

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