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Full catalog/NSIDC-0791
NSIDC-0791·v1·dataset

Typical yearly snow cover (Terra, 0.01 deg)

MODIS/Terra Global Annual 0.01Deg CMG Snow Cover Climatology V001
cryosphere NASA NSIDC_CPRD Level Not provided netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. A picture of typical yearly snow cover patterns, including things like snow class, how long snow lasts, snow-season length, and how reliably snow shows up, summarized across 2001-2023.

How it's made. Derived from MODIS cloud-gap-filled snow data on NASA's Terra satellite, combined with elevation and temperature climatology, at about 1 km resolution.

How & where you'd use it. Helps characterize where and how persistently snow falls around the world, supporting climate, hydrology, and ecosystem studies that depend on long-term snow patterns.

What's measured

CRYOSPHERE › SNOW/ICE › SNOW COVER

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2000-03-01 → 2023-07-31
  • Measured byTerra (MODIS)
  • Processing levelLevel Not provided
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • 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

This data set presents new global snow cover classification regimes derived from the MODIS Terra cloud gap-filled NDSI data (<a href="https://nsidc.org/data/mod10a1f/versions/61">MOD10A1F</a>), elevation, and temperature climatology inputs. The six data granules are available as NetCDF (.nc) files, with each containing a unique snow cover classification spanning 2001 to 2023. The six classifications included in this data set are: (1) snow class climatology (SSC), (2) core snow season length (CSS), (3) snow cover duration (SCD), (4) full snow season length (FSS), (5) snow persistence (SP), and (6) snow season persistence (SSP).

Get the data

nsidc-0791_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="NSIDC-0791",
    version="1",
    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.