Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F-17 satellite that provides passive microwave brightness temperatures (and derived Arctic and Antarctic sea ice products) has been providing spurious data since beginning of April. Working on resolving problem or replacing this data source.

http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/

I put a link to the Japanese ice extent data, which is still working (but not directly compatible with the F-17 extent/area results, so it's not just a simple switch) in the E&E pocket reference guide on Monday: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=100902

https://ads.nipr.ac.jp/vishop/vishop-extent.html

Today (slight close-up to before and after the maximum and minimum):

hatrack

(59,587 posts)

7. And we certainly can't pay to send up a new satellite!

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Reply #4)

Fri May 6, 2016, 09:18 AM

May 2016

That would be wasteful government spending!

muriel_volestrangler

(101,322 posts)

8. Yeah, the Republicans blocked what would have been F20

Reply to hatrack (Reply #7)

Fri May 6, 2016, 09:39 AM

May 2016

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/1127100573

They do have F16 and F18, which they are going to be able to set up in some way:

Sea Ice Index processing uses an NSIDC NASA DAAC product, Near-Real-Time DMSP SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Sea Ice Concentrations (NSIDC-0081), as input. The NSIDC DAAC has started the work needed to move to a new source for NSIDC-0081. This involves retrieving F18 and F16 satellite brightness temperatures from our data providers and then implementing parallel processing for ice concentration to determine which satellite will be best suited to continue the time series. The satellite selected will be the primary replacement for F17, but should that satellite fail, we will be able to switch to the other one without a service interruption.

https://nsidc.org/the-drift/data-update/sea-ice-index-processing-suspended/

muriel_volestrangler

(101,322 posts)

12. update: NSIDC has started using the F18 data provisionally

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Reply #4)

Tue May 10, 2016, 01:12 PM

May 2016

though the 'Cryosphere Today' data in the OP is not yet using that.

NSIDC has obtained data from the DMSP F-18 satellite and is in the process of intercalibrating the F-18 data with F-17 data. Intercalibration addresses differences between the series of sensors, in order to provide a long-term, consistent sea ice record. While this work continues, we are displaying the uncalibrated F-18 data in the daily extent image. The daily time series graph shows F-17 data through March 31, and F-18 data from April 1 forward. Initial evaluation of the uncalibrated F-18 data indicates reasonable agreement with F-17, but the data should be considered provisional and quantitative comparisons with other data should not be done at this time.

Because these are provisional data, the Sea Ice Index has not been updated and continues to display only F-17 data through March 31. We expect to make the F-18 data available in Charctic soon.

http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2016/05/daily-sea-ice-extent-updates-resume-with-provisional-data/

tk2kewl

(18,133 posts)

5. i like that you can turn individual years on/off

Reply to XemaSab (Original post)

Fri May 6, 2016, 08:50 AM

May 2016

first year 1979 low ice: 5.4 million sq km
worst year 2012 low ice: 2.2 million sq km (60% less ice)

2016 trending lower than 2012

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