MISSION STATEMENT
To provide global to tactical scale ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and other environmental intelligence services for the United States government.
WHO WE ARE
The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) is a fully integrated multi-agency organization composed of contributions from the U.S. Navy (USN), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
The USN forms the core of USNIC with the Naval Ice Center, an Echelon V command under Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. The U.S. Coast Guard partners with USNIC through its Mobility and Ice Operations Division under the Office of Waterways and Ocean Policy.
NOAA contributions to USNIC are from the Ice Services Branch within the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), one of National Weather Service's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) . To learn more about OPC, please visit the All About the Ocean Prediction Center webpage.
WHERE WE WORK
The USNIC monitors the global sea ice environment from its offices at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, MD. While the majority of USNIC team members duty station is at NSOF, the team is also able to fully function via remote means which has been demonstrated successfully and seamlessly since March 2020. USNIC personnel also provide in person sea ice analysis and forecast support via onboard U.S. vessel deployments to the polar regions.
HISTORY OF THE U.S. NATIONAL ICE CENTER
Post-WWII
The USN begins to provide global sea ice monitoring services for the Department of Defense.
1956
The National Weather Bureau and U.S. Fleet Weather Central colocated in Suitland, MD
1960
Weather Bureau begins providing ice advisories for Great Lakes and Alaska.
1970
NOAA created; NOAA begins to generate ice analysis from satellite data.
1976
Common requirements and benefits to cooperation lead to formation of Joint Ice Center (JIC) between USN and NOAA.
1979
USN obligations under Annex V reorganized as Naval Polar Oceanography Center; NOAA and USN begin issuing joint products.
1980
Joint Ice Working Group (JIWG) is formed between U.S. and Canadian Ice Service (CIS).
1990
JIC begins collaboration with the Polar Science Center (PSC)
1995
USCG joins JIC to become National Ice Center.
1999
International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) forms based off on JIWG successes.
2002
International Ice Patrol (IIP) joins JIWG, forming the North American Ice Service (NAIS).
2016
Naval Ice Center realigns from Naval Oceanographic Office to Fleet Weather Center, Norfolk (FWC-N).
2019
Retirement of Naval Ice Center logo; reaffirmation of consolidated USNIC branding.
2020
NOAA contribution to USNIC realigned from NESDIS to NWS.
USNIC TODAY
USNIC is a diverse organization of approximately 50 USN, NOAA, and USCG federal employees, contractors, and active-duty servicemembers. Today the Center’s personnel are working diligently to continue to be the U.S. government’s comprehensive source and recognized authority of global ice and snow products and services.
In 2021, USNIC disseminated 13,674 routine products for global sea ice edge and marginal ice zone, value-added analysis and forecasts, annotated imagery and graphics, and text analysis and forecasts via message traffic, internet, and email. An additional 4,410 weekly products supported high-latitude operations and climatological research. A further 4,559 tailored special support products were generated for various customers across the U.S. government and the U.S. supported research organizations.
