Global Lake and River Ice Phenology Database, Version 1

Published by NSIDC | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Metadata Last Checked: January 31, 2026 | Last Modified: 2026-01-27

The Global Lake and River Ice Phenology Database contains freeze and thaw/breakup dates as well as other descriptive ice cover data for 865 lakes and rivers in the Northern Hemisphere. Of the 542 water bodies that have records longer than 19 years, 370 of them are in North America and 172 are in Eurasia. 249 lakes and rivers have records longer than 50 years, and 66 have records longer than 100 years. A few water bodies have data available prior to 1845. This database, with water bodies distributed around the Northern Hemisphere, allows for the analysis of broad spatial patterns as well as long-term temporal patterns.

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Complete Metadata

bureauCode	[ "026:00" ]
identifier	10.7265/N5W66HP8
landingPage	https://noaadata.apps.nsidc.org/NOAA/G01377/
programCode	[ "026:000" ]
spatial	["CARTESIAN",[{"WestBoundingCoordinate":-140.4,"NorthBoundingCoordinate":82.5,"EastBoundingCoordinate":149.3,"SouthBoundingCoordinate":36.15}]]
theme	[ "Earth Science" ]