Unified Sea Ice Thickness Record Since 1947

NASA's Unified Sea Ice Thickness Climate Data Record consolidates observations of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice draft, freeboard, and thickness from 1947 onward. This dataset results from a concerted effort to collect and consistently format a considerable body of historical ice measurements. It is documented for use by the scientific community.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in sea ice thickness for climate modeling.
• Comparing regional ice draft measurements between the Arctic and Antarctic.
• Validating satellite-derived ice thickness estimates with in-situ and upward-looking sonar data.
• Studying seasonal and interannual variability in ice freeboard.

Strengths

• Provides a unified record spanning over 75 years, from 1947 onward.
• Consolidates multiple measurement types (draft, freeboard, thickness) into a consistent format.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided by the sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, ranging from 2017 to a future date in 2026.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collection and consistent formatting of available observations from various sources.

Time Range

1947 onward

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:20:01.703338

Geography

Arctic and Antarctic regions