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Full catalog/NISE
NISE·v3·dataset

Daily sea-ice cover and snow extent, near-real-time

Near-Real-Time SSM/I-SSMIS EASE-Grid Daily Global Ice Concentration and Snow Extent V003
cryosphere NASA NSIDC_CPRD Level 3 HDF-EOS2
In plain English

What it measures. Daily global maps showing how much of the ocean is covered by sea ice and where snow lies on the ground, as a best estimate of current conditions.

How it's made. Derived from the SSMIS microwave sensor aboard the DMSP F16 satellite, processed quickly so the maps reflect conditions at the time the data came in.

How & where you'd use it. Gives a fast snapshot of present-day ice and snow, but the makers warn it should not be used for tracking trends over time or for navigation decisions.

What's measured

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

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2012-01-01 → 2026-01-16
  • Measured byDMSP 5D-3/F16 (SSMIS)
  • 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 3 product contains DMSP-F16, SSMIS-derived sea ice concentrations and snow extents derived from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) aboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F16 satellite. For DMSP-F18, SSMIS-derived data, see <a href="https://doi.org/10.5067/3KB2JPLFPK3R">NISE Version 5</a>. For DMSP-F17, SSMIS-derived data, see <a href="https://nsidc.org/data/nise/versions/4">NISE Version 4</a>. For the older, DMSP-F13, Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) derived data, see <a href="https://doi.org/10.5067/4FSODMDM1WEJ">NISE Version 2</a>.

Get the data

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

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="NISE",
    version="3",
    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.