Message Service #3571

31 August 2026

  • Sea ice

Operational release of AMSR3-based sea-ice products on 1st September 2026

The OSI SAF sea-ice team is pleased to inform its users that the date for the operational release of the AMSR3-based sea-ice products has been set to 1st September 2026. From this date AMSR3 will be the main source of satellite input data for the OSI SAF sea-ice products, as previously announced in earlier service messages and on our website https://osi-saf.eumetsat.int/community/stories/implications-amsr2-being-replaced-amsr3-osi-saf-products

The sea-ice products based on AMSR3 are currently distributed with demonstrational status in parallel to the operational products based on AMSR2. On 1st September the AMSR3-based products will change to operational status, and the distribution of several (but not all, read further below) AMSR2-based products will stop. 

Operational AMSR3-based products from 1st September:

  • L2 Sea-Ice Concentration: OSI-410-g, with new file names.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Concentration: OSI-408-g, with new file names.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Edge: OSI-402-d, same file names and product ID unchanged.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Type: OSI-403-d, same file names and product ID unchanged.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Drift: OSI-405-d, same file names and product ID unchanged.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Emissivity: OSI-404-d replaces OSI-404-b, new file names.
  • Sea-Ice Concentration Interim Climate Data Record: OSI-438-a, same file names.
  • Sea-Ice Index: OSI-420-a, same file names.

All the new AMSR3-based products will be available on FTP (ftp://osisaf.met.no/prod) and THREDDS , at the same locations as the current AMSR2-based products. The NRT products will also be available on EUMETCast.

On 1st September, we will end the test distribution of AMSR3-based products to our FTP and EUMETCast. The demonstrational AMSR3-based product files are already available on FTP under prod_test, and they will remain available at the same location for one month.

Continuation of selected AMSR2 products after 1st September.

OSI SAF will continue the production of the following AMSR2-based products in an overlap period:

  • L2 Sea-Ice Concentration: OSI-410-a, same file names, same location on FTP.
  • L3 Sea-Ice Concentration: OSI-408-a, same file names, new location on FTP.
  • Sea-Ice Concentration Interim Climate Data Record: OSI-438, same file names, new location on FTP. Only the ‘nominal’ ICDR (with 16 days latency) will be continued. Users of the ‘fast-track’ ICDR (with 2 days latency) are invited to use the new AMSR3-based ICDR OSI-438-a.

The latency of OSI-408-a and OSI-410-a from 1 September 2026 is unknown at this stage, and will depend on the latency of non-time-critical AMSR2 Level-1 data from JAXA. These products will only be available on FTP.

Sea Ice Index (OSI-420-a) after 1st September

To ensure both latency and climate consistency, the Sea Ice Index (OSI-420-a) will use both AMSR3 and AMSR2 input data: the most recent 16 days of the Index will be based on OSI-438-a (fast-track AMSR3-based SIC ICDR) while earlier days will continue to be based on OSI-438 (nominal AMSR2-based SIC ICDR).

For details see
https://osi-saf.eumetsat.int/community/stories/implications-amsr2-being-replaced-amsr3-osi-saf-products

If you have any questions, please contact us by email osisaf-manager@met.no

 

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