Earth Data School
About
Full catalog/NISE
NISE·v2·dataset

Where sea ice and snow are right now (daily)

Near-Real-Time SSM/I EASE-Grid Daily Global Ice Concentration and Snow Extent V002
cryosphere NASA NSIDC_CPRD Level 3 HDF-EOS2
In plain English

What it measures. Daily global maps showing where sea ice and snow currently sit, including sea ice concentration and snow extent. It's a best-guess snapshot of present conditions, not a record for studying trends.

How it's made. Derived from the SSM/I microwave imager aboard a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft, processed quickly using the algorithms available at the time of collection.

How & where you'd use it. Gives a fast read on current ice and snow conditions; explicitly not meant for trend analysis or for operational navigation decisions.

What's measured

CRYOSPHERE › SEA ICE › SEA ICE CONCENTRATIONCRYOSPHERE › SNOW/ICE › SNOW COVER

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1995-05-04 → 2009-09-11
  • Measured byDMSP 5D-2/F13 (SSM/I)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsHDF-EOS2
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Measure sea ice, snow cover and glaciers
  • Watch ice-sheet elevation change
  • Track freeze/thaw and permafrost
Official description

The Near-real-time Ice and Snow Extent (NISE) data set provides daily, global maps of sea ice concentrations and snow extent. These data are not suitable for time series, anomalies, or trends analyses. They are meant to provide a best estimate of current ice and snow conditions based on information and algorithms available at the time the data are acquired. Near-real-time products are not intended for operational use in assessing sea ice conditions for navigation. This NISE Version 2 product contains SSMIS-derived sea ice concentrations and snow extents derived from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) aboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F13 satellite. For DMSP-F16, SSMIS-derived data, see <a href="https://doi.org/10.5067/JAQDJKPX0S60"> NISE Version 3</a>. For DMSP-F17, SSMIS-derived data, see <a href="https://nsidc.org/data/nise/versions/4"> NISE Version 4</a>. For DMSP-F18, SSMIS-derived data, see <a href="https://doi.org/10.5067/3KB2JPLFPK3R"> NISE Version 5</a>.

Get the data

nise_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="NISE",
    version="2",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from NSIDC_CPRD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.