Nordic Seas Ice Edge Positions from 1750 to 2002

NASA's March through August Ice Edge Positions dataset provides coordinates for the ice edge boundary in the Nordic Seas. It spans over 250 years from 1750 to 2002, combining historical observations from ship logs with modern satellite data from SMMR and SSM/I instruments. The ice edge is defined as the outer limit of areas with at least 30 percent ice concentration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in summer sea ice extent in the Nordic Seas.
• Validating climate model simulations of historical ice cover using geospatial coordinates.
• Correlating historical shipping activity from logbook data with ice edge positions.
• Studying the seasonal progression of the ice edge from March to August across centuries.

Strengths

• Covers an exceptionally long temporal range of 252 years (1750-2002).
• Integrates multiple data sources, including historical documents and satellite remote sensing.
• Provides a consistent definition of the ice edge (30% concentration boundary).

Limitations

• Specific column names and the total row count are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2002 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata issues.
• Limited to months March through August, excluding winter ice conditions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from public sea ice products, historical ship logbooks, diaries, and satellite data from SMMR and SSM/I.

Time Range

1750 through 2002

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:53:00.404666

Geography

Nordic Seas