Snow Today | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Jun 5, 2024 · Snow-covered area in May 2024 across the western United States was 56 percent above average (Table 1), at 156,000 square kilometers (60,000 square miles) of snow cover, ranking third highest in the 24-year satellite record.
Science of Glaciers - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Visitors to the terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, South America, listen and observe its dynamic motion. Climate change has yet to affect the Perito Moreno Glacier, mainly because of its particular topographic situation.
Glacier Quick Facts - National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Science of Snow - National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Arctic Weather and Climate | National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Arctic Weather and Climate - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Factors affecting Arctic weather and climate. Just like other areas on Earth, weather and climate in the Arctic depend on a lot of variables, including latitude that affects how much energy is received from the sun, and the distribution of land and water.
Ice Sheet Quick Facts - National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Why Glaciers Matter - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Himalayan river bridges are used to cross rivers during the flood season. As mountain glaciers shrink or disappear, changes to their runoff affects river levels, increases the potential for glacier lake outburst floods, and changes flood severity and frequency.
Glaciers - National Snow and Ice Data Center
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.
Sea Ice Today - National Snow and Ice Data Center
Nov 4, 2024 · Sea ice data is updated daily, with a one-day lag. On occasion, there is data delay which is usually resolved within a few days. The orange line in extent and concentration images (left and middle) and the gray line in the time series (right) indicate 1981 to 2010 average extent for the day shown.