Nenana Ice Classic: Tanana River Breakup Dates Since 1917

110 cm is the average maximum winter ice thickness on Alaska's Tanana River. This dataset contains the annual breakup times recorded by the Nenana Ice Classic competition, a unique, continuous time series begun in 1917 by railroad engineers. Maintained by NASA, it serves as a long-term indicator of regional climate change.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in river ice breakup timing as a proxy for climate warming.
• Correlating breakup dates with annual meteorological data like air temperature and snow cover.
• Studying interannual variability in spring thaw events for hydrological and ecological models.
• Validating satellite-derived ice phenology products for northern latitude rivers.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous, high-precision time series starting from 1917.
• Data collection uses a consistent, mechanical method (tripod and clock) ensuring comparability over time.
• Dataset is hosted by NASA and appears on multiple government platforms, indicating curation.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row count are not specified in any source description.
• Sources conflict on license details, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another providing no information.
• The dataset's size and specific file formats (BIN, ISO, HTML) are unclear for direct analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Mechanical measurement using a tripod planted in the river ice connected to a clock, which stops during breakup.

Time Range

1917 to present

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:16:04.337777

Geography

Tanana River at Nenana, Interior Alaska, USA