News & Stories
Across the globe, snow and ice play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and providing freshwater resources to people, plants, and animals.
As Earth’s frozen regions change rapidly, NSIDC is committed to growing its research and open access data to better understand these changes. Read about NSIDC research and its contribution to science and policy making. Check out spotlights on how to use NSIDC data, tools, and resources. Learn about how we steward data and collaborate with scientists and organizations across the world to understand how the frozen parts of Earth affect the rest of the planet and impact society.
News and stories
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Analysis - Snow Today
A series of atmospheric rivers significantly increased snow-covered area and snow water equivalent in the California Sierra Nevada, and to a lesser extent the delivery of snow inland to Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. Snow-covered area for the western United States was 125 percent of average for January with above average snow cover in most regions.
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
Surface melting over Antarctica was near-average through January, but above average surface melting occurred on both the northeastern and southwestern areas of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today
Arctic sea ice extent rose at a slower than average rate through January, and continued to be below the lower interdecile range. By the end of the month, sea ice reached the second lowest extent in the satellite record.
ELOKA Event
On December 6 and 7, 2022, ELOKA met with partners at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska, to make plans for partner involvement in ELOKA’s work through the end of the current National Science Foundation (NSF) award in early 2026.
Spotlight
The Global Lake and River Ice Phenology Database (G01377), archived by NOAA@NSIDC, has some of the oldest observations on record at NSIDC. The database includes observations dating back to the ninth century.
ELOKA Update
The ELOKA team is growing! In the fall of 2022, we added two new positions to our team: an outreach and network manager and postdoctoral researcher.