A meandering melt stream feeds the supraglacial lake in Greenland, eroding a channel on the ice sheet. — Credit: Ian Joughin/Imaggeo Together, the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets contain more than 99 percent of the fresh water ice on Earth.

The sun emerges after heavy snow hit Mount Vernon, Iowa. — Credit: Rich Herrmann/Flickr Snow on the ground. The character of the snow surface after a snowfall depends on the original form of the crystals and on the weather conditions present when the snow fell.

Open access data to inform researchers, policymakers, and othersNSIDC’s data management programs focus on preserving and providing access to cryospheric data and related geophysical data.

This bustling harbor in Ilulissat, Greenland, is filled with various kinds of water vessels. Summers in Greenland turn Greenland green. — Credit: Twila Moon, NSIDC Weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere, and its short-term variation in minutes to weeks.

The cryosphere refers to Earth’s ice in all its forms. The term comes from the Greek word for icy cold—krios. The cryosphere includes: This up-close image shows the intricate details within this ice block in Canal Park, Duluth, Minnesota. — Credit: clairity/Flickr A few basic facts about ice ...

5 days ago · Surface melting for the Antarctic ice sheet appears to have set a record for the 46-year satellite observation period on January 2, 2025. All areas of the Antarctic coast that generally see significant summertime melting continue to accumulate melt days at a faster-than-average pace, except along the northern West Antarctic ice shelves, which are now near-average.

This animation shows the cycle of global vegetation and snow through one year. — Credit: John Nelson/IDV Solutions based on NASA data Snow requires two specific weather conditions: low temperatures and moisture in the atmosphere.

To get started, select Western United States. Check out the Snow Viewer Guide to see current known data issues and to learn how the the Snow Viewer works. We also plan to add more regions and variables over the coming weeks. For data access, visit the About page for instructions on how to download individual data files.. This viewer works best on a desktop monitor; using the viewer on a ...

This graphic illustrates the process of glacial ice formation and approximate percentages of air (by volume) in each step. — Credit: Department of Geography and Environmental Science/Hunter College Glaciers begin to form when snow remains in the same area year round, where enough snow accumulates to transform into ice.

What are ice caps and icefields? An ice cap is a type of glacier, covering less than 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles). Like ice sheets, ice caps tend to spread out in dome-like shapes as opposed to flowing down slopes.