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Across the globe, snow and ice play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and providing freshwater resources to people, plants, and animals.
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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.

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This plot shows the difference in sea ice thickness between April 2024 and the 2011 to 2023 April average.
Arctic ice thinner near Canada; thicker elsewhere
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

The Arctic sea ice cover in June 2024 retreated at a below average pace, leading to a larger total sea ice extent for the month than in recent years. Many areas of open water have developed along the Arctic Ocean coast.

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Antarctic sea ice
Has Antarctic sea ice hit a breaking point?
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After decades of watching Arctic sea ice extent drop as climate warms, scientists are eager to know if climate change has finally caught up to Antarctic sea ice. Several recent studies explore that idea using statistical analysis of sea ice extent data from the NASA NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA@NSIDC).
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The edge of Greenland Ice Sheet in summer
Greenland Ice Sheet melt season starts
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
On April 25, 2024, a moderately strong melt event kicked things off early on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Since then, however, the melt season has been fairly typical. Snowfall in early June blanketed exposed ice, which will slow the onset of more intense melting and run off for the next few weeks. Overall, melting in Greenland has remained well above the 1980s and 1990s levels since 2013, but the 2012 season remains a distinct record.
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Snowflake in snowpack
May snowstorms brighten summer outlook
Analysis - Snow Today
Snow-covered area in May 2024 across the western United States was 56 percent above average (Table 1), at 156,000 square kilometers (60,000 square miles) of snow cover, ranking third highest in the 24-year satellite record. May snowfall brightened the snow cover in some areas while others darkened from lack of snowfall.
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Click to animate. This NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) True Color animation flickers between May 20, 2024, and May 21, 2024, to show the progression of the polar low. Greenland is on its left; Iceland is to its right.
An early Hudson Bay opening
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

The sea ice cover in May 2024 was marked by an unusually early opening of eastern Hudson Bay. Overall, the rate of decline in the Arctic was near average for the month.

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