Polar Pathfinder Daily 25 km Sea Ice Motion Vectors

Daily and weekly sea ice motion vectors and browse images for the Arctic, derived from multiple sensor data, buoy measurements, and reanalysis forecasts. The dataset is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The most recent platform update was recorded in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily and weekly ice velocity patterns using motion vector data.
• Validating sea ice models with input sources from satellite sensors and IABP buoys.
• Studying long-term trends in Arctic ice motion for climate research.
• Creating visual representations of ice flow using the included browse images.

Strengths

• Integrates data from multiple sources: AVHRR, AMSRE, SMMR, SSMI, SSMIS sensors, IABP buoys, and NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis.
• Provides both daily and weekly temporal resolutions for motion analysis.
• Produced by a authoritative organization (NASA).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and exact temporal coverage are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: datagov lists March 2026, while nasa_earthdata lists December 2024.
• License is specified as 'other-license-specified' without further detail.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from AVHRR, AMSRE, SMMR, SSMI, and SSMIS sensors; IABP buoys; and NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis forecasts.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:32:49.424940

Geography

Arctic