The most recent floating (sea, lake, and river) ice information is given below. They are generally 1-4 days old. Hover over a thumbnail to get the full image, description, and credits. Important: The products shown on the "Cryosphere Now" pages provide a variety of perspectives on the state of the cryosphere. They are for purposes of illustration and comparison and are not necessarily endorsed by GCW as "authoritative". Note: Some of the products are not available during the summer.
Global:
NOAA Multisensor Snow/Ice Cover
The Global Snow and Ice Cover Map is derived from combined observations of METOP AVHRR, MSG SEVIRI, GOES Imager and DMSP SSMIS. The algorithm is fully automated. This is an experimental product. It is a NOAA/NESDIS product. (Courtesy of Peter Romanov)
Northern Hemisphere:
NiPR-JAXA Ice Extent Tracker
NiPR-JAXA sea ice extent tracker based on AMSR2 ice concentraiton. An interactive version is available on their website.
OSI SAF Ice Extent Tracker
Sea-ice extent for Northern Hemisphere from the EUMETSAT Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF, osisaf.met.no).
This is a daily composite of sea ice concentration from S-NPP VIIRS orbits. It is generally 5 days old. This is a NOAA "enterprise" algorithm; it is not the NOAA operational algorithm distributed through CLASS. It produced by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and NOAA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Caution: There are sometimes issues with the cloud mask that are seen in the ice concentration plots.
NSIDC produces MASIE (may-zee) in cooperation with the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC). MASIE relies on data from the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the NIC. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Thickness
NiPR-JAXA sea ice thickness. More information is available on their website.
Sea ice thickness from ESA's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite. Important: The maximum retrievable ice thickness with SMOS is about 1 m. Additional information and data are available from the Universität Hamburg.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Age (in years)
NiPR-JAXA sea ice age. This product is calculated every day but with a 6-day lag. More information is available on their website.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Age (in days)
NiPR-JAXA sea ice age. This product is calculated every day but with a 6-day lag. More information is available on their website.
NiPR-JAXA sea ice drift. More information is available on their website.
VIIRS Ice Surface Temperature
This is a daily composite of sea ice surface (skin) temperature (IST) from S-NPP VIIRS orbits. It is generally 5 days old. This is a NOAA "enterprise" algorithm; it is not the NOAA operational algorithm distributed through CLASS. It produced by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and NOAA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Caution: There are sometimes issues with the cloud mask that are seen in the IST plots.
Sea ice total concentration and icebergs from the integrated sea ice analysis for Antarctic waters by AARI/NIC/NMI (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Russian Federation/National Ice Center, USA/Norwegian Meteorological Institute) (full resolution image here).
AARI/NIC/NMI Devel. Stages
Sea ice stages of development and icebergs from the integrated sea ice analysis for Antarctic waters by AARI/NIC/NMI (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Russian Federation/National Ice Center, USA/Norwegian Meteorological Institute) (full resolution image here).
The AMSR2 ice concentration data are from CIMSS/NOAA.
VIIRS Ice Concentration
This is a daily composite of sea ice concentration from S-NPP VIIRS orbits. It is generally 5 days old. This is a NOAA "enterprise" algorithm; it is not the NOAA operational algorithm distributed through CLASS. It produced by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and NOAA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Caution: There are sometimes issues with the cloud mask that are seen in the ice concentration plots.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Age (in years)
NiPR-JAXA sea ice age. This product is calculated every day but with a 6-day lag. More information is available on their website.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Age (in days)
NiPR-JAXA sea ice age. This product is calculated every day but with a 6-day lag. More information is available on their website.
NiPR-JAXA Ice Drift
NiPR-JAXA sea ice drift. More information is available on their website.
VIIRS Ice Surface Temperature
This is a daily composite of sea ice surface (skin) temperature (IST) from S-NPP VIIRS orbits. It is generally 5 days old. This is a NOAA "enterprise" algorithm; it is not the NOAA operational algorithm distributed through CLASS. It produced by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and NOAA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Caution: There are sometimes issues with the cloud mask that are seen in the IST plots.
Ice concentration for the Alaska region from the NOAA/NWS Alaska Sea Ice Program (ASIP). More information is available on their website.
ASIP Alaska Ice Concentration
Ice concentration in the Cook Inlet of Alaska from the NOAA/NWS Alaska Sea Ice Program (ASIP). More information is available on their website.
ASIP Alaska Ice Concentration
5-day sea ice forecast map of the Alaska region from the NOAA/NWS Alaska Sea Ice Program (ASIP). More information is available on their website.
Svalbard Sea Ice Area
Sea-ice area around Svalbard from the archive of ice charts from the Ice Service of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (cryo.met.no)
Great Lakes Ice, West
Great Lakes ice chart, western portion, a product of the North American Ice Service (NAIS) obtained from the National Ice Center (NIC). These products are constructed by NIC analysts using various imagery sources with resolutions down to 50 meters per pixel. Imagery sources include but are not limited to ENVISAT, DMSP OLS, AVHRR, and RADARSAT. NIC ice analysts provide the necessary value-added interpretation of these imagery sources to properly identify the extent of the ice edge contours.
Great Lakes Ice, East
Great Lakes ice chart, eastern portion, , a product of the North American Ice Service (NAIS) obtained from the National Ice Center (NIC). These products are constructed by NIC analysts using various imagery sources with resolutions down to 50 meters per pixel. Imagery sources include but are not limited to ENVISAT, DMSP OLS, AVHRR, and RADARSAT. NIC ice analysts provide the necessary value-added interpretation of these imagery sources to properly identify the extent of the ice edge contours.