Arctic sea ice melt pond fraction derived from MODIS

Melt pond fraction (MPF) on sea ice is an important factor for ice-albedo feedback throughout the Arctic Ocean. Based on The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which can be traced back 20 years with a 500 m spatial resolution, we obtain the Arctic sea ice melt pond fraction after 2000. Our results help explain the acceleration of Arctic sea-ice decrease during the past decade.