TheNational Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is aUnited States information and referral center in support ofpolar andcryosphericresearch. NSIDC archives and distributes digital and analog snow and ice data and also maintains information aboutsnow cover,avalanches,glaciers,ice sheets, freshwaterice, sea ice, ground ice,permafrost, atmospheric ice, paleoglaciology, andice cores.
NSIDC is part of theUniversity of Colorado BoulderCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and is affiliated with theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)National Centers for Environmental Information through a cooperative agreement. NSIDC serves as one of twelveDistributed Active Archive Centers funded by theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration to archive and distribute data fromNASA's past and current satellites and field measurement programs. NSIDC also supports theNational Science Foundation through theExchange For Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) and other scientific research grants. NSIDC is also a member of the ICSU World Data System.sujit Serreze is the director of NSIDC.
TheWorld Data Center (WDC) forGlaciology,Boulder, a data center responsible for archiving all available glaciological information, was established at theAmerican Geographical Society under Dr.William O. Field, Director, in 1957. Between 1971 and 1976 it was operated by theU.S. Geological Survey, Glaciology Project Office, under the direction of Dr.Mark F. Meier.
In 1976, responsibility for the WDC for Glaciology was transferred to NOAA,Environmental Data and Information Service (EDIS), and the center moved to the University of Colorado at Boulder under the direction of ProfessorRoger G. Barry. In 1982, NOAA created the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) as a means to expand the WDC holdings and as a place to archive data from some NOAA programs. In the 1980s and 1990s, support to NSIDC widened with NASA funding for theSnow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and NSF funding to manage selectedArctic andAntarctic data andmetadata.
International science and data management programs facilitate the free exchange of data and accelerate research aimed at understanding the role of the cryosphere in the Earth system. NSIDC contributes to a number of international programs. Most of these programs, only a few of which are mentioned here, fall under the aegis of theInternational Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).
NSIDC scientists participate inInternational Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG),International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS), and in activities of theInternational Permafrost Association (IPA), theGlobal Digital Sea Ice Data Bank (GDSIDB), and theWorld Climate Research Programme (WCRP), including Climate and Cryosphere (CliC),Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), theGlobal Climate Observing System (GCOS), and theGlobal Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). Former NSIDC Director,Roger G. Barry, was co-Vice Chair of the WCRP CliC Scientific Steering Group until 2005, and was a member of the GCOS/Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate through 2007.
Researchers at NSIDC investigate the dynamics of Antarctic ice shelves, new techniques for theremote sensing of snow and freeze/thaw cycle of soils, the role of snow inhydrologic modeling, linkages between changes in sea ice extent and weather patterns, large-scale shifts in polar climate, river and lake ice, and the distribution and characteristics of seasonally and permanently frozen ground. In-house scientists pursue their work as part of the CIRES Cryospheric and Polar Process Division,University of Colorado Boulder.
NSIDC also monitors Arctic and Antarctic sea ice in near real time, and regularly posts sea ice extent data and analysis on itsArctic Sea Ice News and Analysis page.
A research project of the NSIDC is the Exchange For Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic orELOKA.[1] It is a collaborative international effort that was launched during the 2007–2009 International Polar Year.[2] ELOKA facilitates the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic. Data management and user support are provided by ELOKA while it fosters collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers. By working together, Arctic residents and researchers have made significant contributions to our understanding of the Arctic and recent changes to it. A key challenge of local andtraditional knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring is having an effective and appropriate means of recording, storing, and managing data and information. There is also the issue of finding an effective means of making such data available to Arctic residents and researchers, as well as other interested groups such as teachers, students, and decision makers. Without a network and data management system to support LTK and community-based research, a number of problems have arisen. ELOKA aims to fill this gap.[3]
In February 2025, data from the NSIDC showed total global sea ice extent to be at an all-time low.[4]
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