nsidc.orgHomepage | National Snow and Ice Data Center

National Snow and Ice Data Center NSIDC a part of CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder Main navigation News & Analyses News & Stories Scientific Analyses About our Analyses Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis (ASINA) Ice Sheets Today Snow Today Multimedia Data Explore Data Visualize Data Submit Data Submit NASA Data to NSIDC DAAC Submit Data to Other NSIDC Programs User Resources Get Started with Data Data Announcements Help Center Data Tools Documents Levels of service NASA Earthdata Forum Data Programs About our Programs NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) NOAA at NSIDC Exchange for Observations and Local Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) Data Policies Our Research Learn What is the Cryosphere? Parts of the Cryosphere Arctic Weather & Climate Frozen Ground & Permafrost Glaciers Ice Sheets Ice Shelves Sea Ice Snow Ask a Scientist Cryosphere glossary About About NSIDC What we do Our People Published Research Our History Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Careers For the Media Contact Us Citation Policies Web Policy Land Acknowledgement Search News & Analyses News & Stories Scientific Analyses About our Analyses Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis (ASINA) Ice Sheets Today Snow Today Multimedia Data Explore Data Visualize Data Submit Data Submit NASA Data to NSIDC DAAC Submit Data to Other NSIDC Programs User Resources Get Started with Data Data Announcements Help Center Data Tools Documents Levels of service NASA Earthdata Forum Data Programs About our Programs NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) NOAA at NSIDC Exchange for Observations and Local Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) Data Policies Our Research Learn What is the Cryosphere? Parts of the Cryosphere Arctic Weather & Climate Frozen Ground & Permafrost Glaciers Ice Sheets Ice Shelves Sea Ice Snow Ask a Scientist Cryosphere glossary About About NSIDC What we do Our People Published Research Our History Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Careers For the Media Contact Us Citation Policies Web Policy Land Acknowledgement Welcome to the National Snow and Ice Data Center Explore Data Our Research Advancing knowledge of Earth’s frozen regions since 1976 Frozen ground Frozen ground Glaciers Glaciers Ice shelves Ice sheets Ice shelves Sea ice Sea ice Snow Snow Soil moisture Soil moisture close Frozen ground When the temperature of the ground drops below 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit), it becomes frozen ground. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer below Earth’s surface. It consists of soil, gravel, and sand, usually bound together by ice. Explore Frozen Ground Data Learn more about frozen ground Browse related data collections Aquarius MEaSUREs Soil Moisture Active Passive Data (SMAP) Browse related research projects QGreenland Project close Glaciers Glaciers are huge masses of ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originate on land and move down slope under the influence of their own weight and gravity. The two main types are continental glaciers (or ice sheets) and alpine glaciers. Explore Glaciers Data Learn more about glaciers Browse related data collections NASA Earthdata Cloud GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space High Mountain Asia (HMA) Operation IceBridge ICESat/GLAS ICESat-2 MEaSUREs Browse related research projects International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration close Ice sheets Ice sheets are masses of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles). There are only two ice sheets worldwide today, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. They contain more than 99 percent of the land ice on Earth. Explore Ice Sheets Data Learn more about ice sheets Browse related data collections NASA Earthdata Cloud GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space Operation IceBridge ICESat/GLAS ICESat-2 MEaSUREs Browse related research projects QGreenland Project close Ice shelves An ice shelf is a large floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. Ice shelves play an important role in slowing the flow of ice from glaciers or ice sheets into the ocean. When ice shelves collapse, research has shown that glaciers accelerate, flowing into the ocean and adding to sea level rise. Explore Ice Shelves Data Learn more about ice shelves Browse related data collections NASA Earthdata Cloud GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space Operation IceBridge ICESat/GLAS ICESat-2 MEaSUREs close Sea ice Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the surface of polar oceans and seas. It grows during each hemisphere’s winter; and it retreats in the summer, but does not completely disappear. The highly reflective white surface of sea ice reflects solar energy, cooling the planet. When it melts, the darker ocean absorbs more heat, reinforcing the cycle of melting sea ice. Explore Sea Ice Data Learn more about sea ice Browse related data collections Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) AMSR-E AMSR Unified NASA Earthdata Cloud Environmental Working Group Arctic Atlases (EWG) Operation IceBridge ICESat/GLAS ICESat-2 MEaSUREs MODIS Nimbus Data Rescue Project SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS VIIRS Browse related research projects Sea Ice Prediction Network Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis close Snow Snow is composed of frozen water crystals. It is not frozen rain, but a crystallization of ice that typically forms in clouds. Highly reflective, white snow bounces solar energy back into space instead of warming the planet. Mountain snowpacks also provide a slow release of fresh water into rivers and waterways. Explore Snow Data Learn more about snow Browse related data collections Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) AMSR-E AMSR Unified Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX) NASA Earthdata Cloud Environmental Working Group Arctic Atlases (EWG) GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space High Mountain Asia (HMA) Operation IceBridge MEaSUREs MODIS SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS NASA SnowEx VIIRS Browse related research projects Arctic Rain On Snow Study Project close Soil moisture Soil moisture is the water content of soil and is key to Earth’s terrestrial water, carbon, and water cycles. It also influences how and when the soil may freeze or thaw, a key component of understanding frozen ground and its extent. Explore Soil Moisture Data Browse related data collections AMSR-E AMSR Unified Aquarius Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX) Soil Moisture Active Passive Data (SMAP) SMMR and SSM/I-SSMIS Stay current with our expert analyses Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis (ASINA) Near real-time data and monthly analysis on how Arctic and Antarctic sea ice is changing and what conditions may be playing a role. Read more Ice Sheets Today Near real-time melt maps, graphs and periodic analyses during the Greenland Ice Sheet melt season and periodic data images and analyses during the Antarctic Ice Sheet melt season. Read more Snow Today Monthly analyses and daily data images of snow conditions in near-real time across the Western US using a combination of satellite data and surface observations. Read more Snow Today May 8, 2024 Too little, too late Snow-covered area was 203 percent of average for April, ranking second highest in the 24-year satellite record. Despite a snowy April, snow cover days were below average because of a widespread slow start to the snow season. States in the north reported below-average snow water equivalent, while the opposite was true for states in the south. Read More Featured news & stories Image Feature Story The story behind the StoryMap: A family’s tale of a rain-on-snow event Image Ask a Scientist What is the Karakoram Anomaly? Image Spotlight Quickening progress of QGreenland Image Feature Story Quenching the arid West with record snowfall: The tools behind snow data Image Spotlight OpenAltimetry elevates data access SEE MORE Data, research & analysis updates May...