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Advancing knowledge of Earth's frozen regions since 1976

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Sea ice in all types of shapes
Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets
skiers drop in from a cliff in Silverton, Colorado
Analysis - Snow Today
April 3, 2025
Snow-covered area in March across the western United States was 8 percent below average, ranking seventeenth in the 25-year satellite record. Snow cover duration was just above the twenty-fifth percentile. Snow albedo, also known as snow brightness, started low in early March and then oscillated between high, then low, and then high during the month. Snow water equivalent (SWE) relative to average showed little change during the month, despite SWE gains at many stations across the region.

Data, research & analysis updates

Snow-covered area in March across the western United States was 8 percent below average, ranking seventeenth in the 25-year satellite record. Snow cover duration was just above the twenty-fifth percentile. Snow albedo, also known as snow brightness, started low in early March and then oscillated between high, then low, and then high during the month. Snow water equivalent (SWE) relative to average showed little change during the month, despite SWE gains at many stations across the region.
Arctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.33 million square kilometers (5.53 million square miles) on March 22, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The 2025 maximum sea ice extent is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, falling short of the previous record low of 14.41 million square kilometers (5.56 million square miles) set on March 7, 2017.

Data management programs at NSIDC

A satellite view of Malaspina Glacier in Alaska

NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC)

Open access cryosphere and related geophysical data from NASA Earth-observing satellite missions, airborne campaigns, and field observations.
methane bubbles frozen in lake in Canada

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at NSIDC

A NOAA-funded program providing open access data from satellites, field instruments, weather stations, historical records, and rescued data.
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Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA): Data Curation for Indigenous Communities

Working with Indigenous communities in the Arctic to preserve and promote their data and knowledge for use in scientific studies.