Water covers more than 70% of our planet's surface and largely governs so many things from climate change to the sustenance of life on earth. What you may not realize is the vital importance played by the solid part of our planet's water inventory. ||

Universal Production Music: Home To You by William Baxter Noon [PRS], Pluck Up Courage by John Griggs [PRS], Philip Michael Guyler [PRS], Wafer Thin by Adam Leslie Gock [APRA], Dinesh David Wicks [APRA], Mitchell Stewart [APRA], The Magpie's Pie by Quentin Bachelet [SACEM], Romain Sanson [SACEM], Ticking Tension by Quentin Bachelet [SACEM], Romain Sanson [SACEM], Reward Drawer by Ehren Ebbage [BMI] Additional images courtesy of Alaska Satellite Facility - University of Alaska FairbanksThis video can be freely shared and downloaded. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, some individual imagery provided by ASF is obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.htmlComplete transcript available. || ABoVE_Title.jpg (1920x1080) [623.7 KB] || ABoVE_Title_searchweb.png (180x320) [91.6 KB] || ABoVE_Title_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || ABoVE_FINAL.webm (1920x1080) [66.4 MB] || TWITTER_ABoVE_FINAL.mp4 (1920x1080) [341.3 MB] || ABoVE.en_US.srt [12.5 KB] || ABoVE.en_US.vtt [11.8 KB] || ABoVE_FINAL.mp4 (1920x1080) [1.4 GB] ||

The cryosphere consists of those parts of the Earth's surface where water is found in solid form, including areas of snow, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, ice sheets, and icebergs. In these regions, surface temperatures remain below freezing for a portion of each year. Since ice and snow exist relatively close to their melting point, they frequently change from solid to liquid and back again due to fluctuations in surface temperature. Although direct measurements of the cryosphere can be difficult to obtain due to the remote locations of many of these areas, using satellite observations scientists monitor changes in the global and regional climate by observing how regions of the Earth's cryosphere shrink and expand.This animation portrays fluctuations in the cryosphere through observations collected from a variety of satellite-based sensors. The animation begins in Antarctica, showing some unique features of the Antarctic landscape found nowhere else on earth. Ice shelves, ice streams, glaciers, and the formation of massive icebergs can be seen clearly in the flyover of the Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica. A time series shows the movement of iceberg B15A, an iceberg 295 kilometers in length which broke off of the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000. Moving farther along the coastline, a time series of the Larsen ice shelf shows the collapse of over 3,200 square kilometers ice since January 2002. As we depart from the Antarctic, we see the seasonal change of sea ice and how it nearly doubles the apparent area of the continent during the winter.From Antarctica, the animation travels over South America showing glacier locations on this mostly tropical continent. We then move further north to observe daily changes in snow cover over the North American continent. The clouds show winter storms moving across the United States and Canada, leaving trails of snow cover behind. In a close-up view of the western US, we compare the difference in land cover between two years: 2003 when the region received a normal amount of snow and 2002 when little snow was accumulated. The difference in the surrounding vegetation due to the lack of spring melt water from the mountain snow pack is evident.As the animation moves from the western US to the Arctic region, the areas affected by permafrost are visible. As time marches forward from March to September, the daily snow and sea ice recede and reveal the vast areas of permafrost surrounding the Arctic Ocean.The animation shows a one-year cycle of Arctic sea ice followed by the mean September minimum sea ice for each year from 1979 through 2008. The superimposed graph of the area of Arctic sea ice at this minimum clearly shows the dramatic decrease in Artic sea ice over the last few years.While moving from the Arctic to Greenland, the animation shows the constant motion of the Arctic polar ice using daily measures of sea ice activity. Sea ice flows from the Arctic into Baffin Bay as the seasonal ice expands southward. As we draw close to the Greenland coast, the animation shows the recent changes in the Jakobshavn glacier. Although Jakobshavn receded only slightly from 1964 to 2001, the animation shows significant recession from 2001 through 2009. As the animation pulls out from Jakobshavn, the effect of the increased flow rate of Greenland costal glaciers is shown by the thinning ice shelf regions near the Greenland coast.This animation shows a wealth of data collected from satellite observations of the cryosphere and the impact that recent cryospheric changes are making on our planet.For more information on the data sets used in this visualization, visit NASA's EOS DAAC website.Note: This animation is an update of the animation 'A Short Tour of the Cryosphere', which is itself an abridged version of the animation 'A Tour of the Cryosphere'. The popularity of the earlier animations and their continuing relevance prompted us to update the datasets in parts of the animation and to remake it in high definition. In certain cases, our experiences in using the earlier work have led us to tweak the presentation of some of the material to make it clearer. Our thanks to Dr. Robert Bindschadler for suggesting and supporting this remake. ||

Arctic sea ice declined this summer to its second smallest extent in the satellite era, suggesting that the record set in 2007 may not have been an anomaly. If recent trends in the melt rate continue, we could see a virtually ice-free Arctic each summer much sooner than previously thought.For complete transcript, click here. || SeaIce2008_320iPod.03621_print.jpg (1024x576) [95.6 KB] || SeaIce2008_320iPod_web.png (320x180) [129.4 KB] || SeaIce2008_320iPod_thm.png (80x40) [17.3 KB] || SeaIce2008_AppleTV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [46.7 MB] || SeaIce2008_AppleTV.m4v (960x540) [115.0 MB] || SeaIce2008_fullH264.mov (1280x720) [112.5 MB] || SeaIce2008_640iPod.m4v (640x360) [37.0 MB] || Sea_Ice_2008_640x360_Youtube.mov (640x480) [40.7 MB] || GSFC_20080925_SeaIce_m10353_2008.en_US.srt [6.0 KB] || GSFC_20080925_SeaIce_m10353_2008.en_US.vtt [5.7 KB] || SeaIce2008_320iPod.m4v (320x180) [16.6 MB] || SeaIce2008_podcast.mp4 (320x236) [14.7 MB] || SeaIce2008_512x288.mpg (512x288) [50.7 MB] ||

In commemoration of the end of the International Polar Year, Tom Wagner, NASA Cryosphere Program Scientist, appeared on television stations around the country on April 6, 2009. This video highlights his answers to questions about the IPY, climate change, and new data on the extent and thickness of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean.For complete transcript, click here. || Tom_Wagner_Live_EditedH264.00177_print.jpg (1024x576) [83.8 KB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_EditedH264_web.png (320x180) [241.0 KB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_EditedH264_thm.png (80x40) [17.0 KB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.webmhd.webm (960x540) [57.5 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.m4v (960x540) [178.9 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_EditedH264.mov (1280x720) [175.8 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.mov (1280x720) [175.8 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.mp4 (320x240) [11.7 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.wmv (320x236) [25.4 MB] || Tom_Wagner_Live_Edited.mpg (512x288) [46.1 MB] ||

NASA's Operation IceBridge mission, the largest airborne survey ever flown of Earth's polar ice, kicked off its second year of study in late March 2010. The IceBridge mission allows scientists to track changes in the extent and thickness of polar ice, which is important to understanding ice dynamics. IceBridge began in March 2009 as a means to fill the gap in polar observations between the loss of NASA's ICESat satellite and the launch of ICESat-2, planned for 1015. Annual missions fly over the Arctic in March and April and over the Antarctic in October and November. This video gives a brief overview of the start of the Arctic 2010 IceBridge campaign.For complete transcript, click here. || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv.00127_print.jpg (1024x768) [113.3 KB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv_web.png (320x240) [292.7 KB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv_thm.png (80x40) [16.9 KB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv_searchweb.png (320x180) [85.3 KB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv.webmhd.webm (960x540) [19.3 MB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_appletv.m4v (960x720) [44.5 MB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_ProResBroll.mov (1280x720) [1.3 GB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_YouTubeHQ.mov (1280x720) [43.6 MB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_goddard_shorts.m4v (640x360) [15.4 MB] || GSFC_20100406_OIB_m10597_Pkg2a.en_US.srt [1.8 KB] || GSFC_20100406_OIB_m10597_Pkg2a.en_US.vtt [1.8 KB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_NASA_PORTAL.wmv (346x260) [13.4 MB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_podcast.m4v (320x180) [6.2 MB] || G2010-028_OIB_Pkg2_SVS.mpg (512x288) [11.4 MB] ||

This animated video shares a series of fascinating facts about how climate change affects oceans, land, the atmosphere, and ice sheets around the world. With the help of an animated astronaut touring the Earth, the video explains how NASA's Earth observing satellite fleet enables scientists to gather accurate data and understand those changes.For complete transcript, click here. || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_youtube_hq.02196_print.jpg (1024x576) [105.9 KB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_youtube_hq_web.png (320x180) [281.3 KB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_youtube_hq_thm.png (80x40) [17.6 KB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_appletv.webmhd.webm (960x540) [41.1 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_appletv.m4v (960x540) [99.6 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_prores.mov (1280x720) [2.9 GB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_Final.wmv (1280x720) [89.9 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_youtube_hq.mov (1280x720) [105.0 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_ipod_lg.m4v (640x360) [33.5 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth.m4v (320x240) [18.1 MB] || G2010-072_Know_Your_Earth_SVS.mpg (512x288) [27.1 MB] ||

Ice near the poles is changing. In spring 2011, the annual maximum extent of Arctic sea ice was among the lowest in the satellite record. Using satellites to track Arctic ice and comparing it with previous years is one way that scientists gauge the Arctic's health and the impacts of climate change. Now, NASA scientists are in the field for the most recent leg of Operation IceBridge, a six year mission to study the Earth's polar regions, not from satellites, but from onboard aircraft. Over the next eight weeks, researchers will fly over the Arctic aboard airborne science laboratories, tracking changes to ice cover and glaciers, and even performing some measurements not possible from space. For more information, go to www.nasa.gov/icebridge ||

On Friday August 23, 2013, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center talked to television stations from around the country about the Arctic and the changes taking place to sea ice in this region. See below for interviews in English with Tom Wagner and Walt Meier, an interview in Spanish with Carlos del Castillo, and footage and data visualizations of sea ice.For more information please click here. ||

Canned Interviews and B-roll for Arctic Sea Ice 2014 live shot campaign. ||