Abstract: In this paper, three sea ice concentration products are compared: i) data from the Scanning Microwave Radiometer carried on the HY-2B satellite combined with NASA’s TEAM algorithm (“the HY2 dataset”), ii) data from the Microwave Radiometer Imager carried on FY-3D satellite combined with the DT-ASI algorithm provided by Ocean University of China (“the OUC dataset”), and iii) the sea ice concentration product provided by the Ice and Snow Center of the United States (“the NSIDC dataset”). Using the BRM sea ice concentration product with higher spatial resolution and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) remote sensing images as reference datasets, we report that: At low latitudes (≤70°N), HY2 is most consistent with. In the mid-latitude region (70°N–80°N), OUC was the most consistent with BRM. At high latitudes (80°N–87°N), the NSIDC dataset is most consistent with the BRM dataset. In the Northeast Passage region, the HY2 dataset is most suitable for sea ice monitoring in the Chukchi Sea and Norwegian Sea segments of the Arctic Northeast Passage during navigation window periods.The NSIDC dataset performs better in each section of the Arctic Northeast Passage near the navigable window period, especially for sea ice monitoring in the East Siberian Sea. The OUC dataset is suitable for the sea ice monitoring needs of most sections of the Arctic Northeast Passage.

Key words: Arctic sea ice, sea ice concentration, suitability assessment, Arctic Northeast Passage, HY-2B, FY-3D