Learn - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Quick facts, basic science, and information about snow, ice, and why the cryosphere matters The cryosphere includes all of the snow and ice-covered regions across the planet.
Ice Sheets Today - National Snow and Ice Data Center
The 2024 melt season for the Greenland Ice Sheet is above the 1991 to 2020 average, but the total number of melt days and peak melt area for Greenland are within the midrange of the last 24 years.
Science of Glaciers - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Visitors to the terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, South America, listen and observe its dynamic motion. Climate change has yet to affect the Perito Moreno Glacier, mainly because of its particular topographic situation.
Arctic Weather and Climate - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Factors affecting Arctic weather and climate. Just like other areas on Earth, weather and climate in the Arctic depend on a lot of variables, including latitude that affects how much energy is received from the sun, and the distribution of land and water.
Science of Snow - National Snow and Ice Data Center
The sun emerges after heavy snow hit Mount Vernon, Iowa. — Credit: Rich Herrmann/Flickr Snow on the ground. The character of the snow surface after a snowfall depends on the original form of the crystals and on the weather conditions present when the snow fell.
Arctic Weather and Climate | National Snow and Ice Data Center
This bustling harbor in Ilulissat, Greenland, is filled with various kinds of water vessels. Summers in Greenland turn Greenland green. — Credit: Twila Moon, NSIDC Weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere, and its short-term variation in minutes to weeks.
Snow Today - National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Sea Ice Today - National Snow and Ice Data Center
4 days ago · Sea ice data is updated daily, with a one-day lag. On occasion, there is data delay which is usually resolved within a few days. The orange line in extent and concentration images (left and middle) and the gray line in the time series (right) indicate 1981 to 2010 average extent for the day shown.
Glacier Quick Facts - National Snow and Ice Data Center
What are ice caps and icefields? An ice cap is a type of glacier, covering less than 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles). Like ice sheets, ice caps tend to spread out in dome-like shapes as opposed to flowing down slopes.
Quick Facts About Snow - National Snow and Ice Data Center
A little girl devours snow. — Credit: Brett/stock.adobe.com The fresher the snow, the less contaminated it can be with things like algae, bacteria, and pollution. However, as pollution also persists in the atmosphere, all snow captures these while forming.