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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 Version Platform Instrument Temporal Extent Spatial Extent Spatial Resolution Data Format
MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXOCN) at GES DISC 5.12.4 MERRA-2 NOT APPLICABLE 1980-01-01 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km NRT 6.1NRT Aqua MODIS 2021-02-07

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V004 4 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2006-12-31

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V005 5 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2017-01-02

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006 6 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2023-02-26

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061 61 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V004 4 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2007-01-03

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V005 5 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2017-01-01

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V006 6 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2023-02-25

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V061 61 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Day V004 4 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2006-12-31

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Day V005 5 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2017-01-02

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Day V006 6 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2023-02-26

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Day V061 61 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Night V005 5 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to 2017-01-02

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Night V006 6 Aqua MODIS 2002-06-11 to 2023-02-26

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent Daily L3 Global 1km EASE-Grid Night V061 61 Aqua MODIS 2002-07-04 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km NRT 6.1NRT Terra MODIS 2021-02-07

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V004 4 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to 2006-12-31

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers HDF-EOS2, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V005 5 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to 2017-01-03

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006 6 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to 2023-02-17

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V004 4 Terra MODIS 2003-09-15 to 2007-01-02

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V005 5 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to 2017-01-02

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V006 6 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to 2023-02-17

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V061 61 Terra MODIS 2000-02-24 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers HDF-EOS2
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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.

Learn More About ICESat-2
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

Sea Ice Data Tools

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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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