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Description

The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) mission acquires high-resolution thermal infrared (TIR) data on the Earth’s surface with five spectral bands in the 8-12.5 μm range. ECOSTRESS is attached to the International Space Station (ISS) and collects data globally between approximately 52° N and 52° S latitudes.

The ECOSTRESS Gridded Weight Percent Silica L3 Global 0.01 Degree Map (ECO_L3G_WPS) Version 1 demonstrates the potential of TIR image data acquired by the ECOSTRESS sensor to produce the first mineral maps of the Earth’s arid and semi-arid regions. Weight Percent Silica (WPS) quantifies the weight percent of SiO₂ (silica) across exposed rocks, sand, and soil by detecting the spectral shift of the diagnostic Si–O vibrational feature.

ECO_L3G_WPS was generated by averaging all clear-sky ECOSTRESS Level 2 Gridded emissivity ECO_L2G_LSTE pixels from 2023 to 2024 onto a 0.01° (~1 km) global grid, then applying the WPS algorithm. The source emissivity data and mapping approach were validated against known mineralogy at two arid sites (quartz and gypsum), using direct comparison of field-collected samples.

The product contains one science variable: WPS, and is distributed as a single global GeoTIFF. Vegetated and ocean pixels are masked to Not a Number (NaN).

Known Issues

  • Coverage restriction: Data are limited to arid and semi-arid regions as defined by the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) aridity mask. Vegetated areas, permanent ice, and ocean pixels are masked and contain no valid data.
  • Fixed values at data extremes: Weight Percent Silica values of exactly 3.2509% and 91.4135% (approximately 5.3% of valid pixels) occur when a pixel's true spectral minimum cannot be resolved by the retrieval algorithm. Users performing quantitative analysis (e.g., means, histograms, correlations) should be aware that these two specific values do not represent precise surface retrievals.

Version Description

Version 001 is the initial release of the ECOSTRESS Gridded Weight Percent Silica Global 0.01 Degree Map.

Product Summary

Platforms
ISS
Instruments
ECOSTRESS
Projects
ECOSTRESS
Spatial Extent

N: 53.12 S: -53.11 E: 177 W: -158.23

Spatial Resolution
0.01 Decimal Degrees x 0.01 Decimal Degrees
Location
GLOBAL LAND
Coordinate System
GEODETIC
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA (NASA/JPL/ECOSTRESS)
Concept ID
C4281765068-LPCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
1
Processing Level
3
Published
Science Keywords
Emissivity ,
Minerals

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Rabuffi, F. (2026). ECOSTRESS Gridded Weight Percent Silica L3 Global 0.01 Degree Map V001 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/ECOSTRESS/ECO_L3G_WPS.001 Date Accessed: 2026-09-12

File Naming Convention

ECO_L3G_WPS.tif

This is a single static global composite product distributed as one GeoTIFF file. The file name matches the collection Short Name (ECO_L3G_WPS) with a .tif extension. Since the product is not a time series or a tiled/gridded set with multiple granules, the file name does not include date, tile, or timestamp information.

Documents

a map of Africa and Asia showing silica deposits detected by ECOSTRESS.

Mapping Silicate Minerals From Space

New infrared surveys of silicates and related minerals provide insights for geological research, renewable energy, and rare Earth mineral exploration.
News
Sept. 11, 2026
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Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor Offset
WPS Weight Percent Silica (WPS) -- surface silicate content derived from ECOSTRESS thermal infrared (TIR) emissivity data using the Si-O spectral shift algorithm. WPS quantifies the weight percent of SiO2 (silica) in surface rocks. Recommended display range: 55-80 percent. Percent float32 N/A 0 to 100 N/A N/A
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