The NSIDC Education Center is a portal for information about the frozen areas of the world, the cryosphere. NSIDC developed the suite of online content in response to frequent questions from the public. The Education Center includes:
- Detailed information about glaciers, sea ice, frozen ground, snow, and Arctic climate written for a general audience
- Scientist-vetted information on how climate change is affecting the frozen regions of the Earth, updated regularly
- Visual resources showing the state of the cryosphere, such as repeat photography of glaciers and satellite data viewable in Google Earth
- Features on NSIDC research in polar regions, including pictures about what it’s like to work in extreme environments
- Descriptions of print and multimedia resources available from NSIDC exploring Arctic climate, climate change, and local observations of environmental changes
- Links to online educational resources and activities
Visit these National Snow and Ice Data Center sites at nsidc.org/cryosphere and nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews
Above, sea ice extent is charted showing the summer minimums over several years, and the gradual increase during the onset of winter.
White area shows the sea ice extent in Sept. 2009, and the 1979-2000 median ice edge, in pink. Both of these graphics are updated daily, year-round at Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis on the Web.
People around the world have developed a strong interest in the layer of sea ice that expands and contracts seasonally over the Arctic Ocean. The record lows in the summers of 2005 and 2007 caught the attention of journalists and the general public, and thrust the National Snow and Ice Data Center into the spotlight.
People came to NSIDC with all kind of questions about sea ice: Would the decline continue? Why does it matter if the ice cover disappears? NSIDC developed Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis to help the public understand what is happening to sea ice, and why it is important.
The NSIDC Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis website offers daily updates of near-real-time data on Arctic sea ice extent. NSIDC also provides monthly analysis on Arctic sea-ice conditions and influencing factors.
