Biosphere Data Access and Tools

NASA biosphere data range from surface reflectance data useful for measuring the greenness of vegetation to measurements of nighttime lights that disrupt the behaviors of wildlife. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Dataset	Geographic Region	Temporal Extent	Data Format	Potential Application Areas	Related Subtopics
ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 Level 1 ScanSAR Product	Global	2014-08-01 to Present		Wide-area monitoring of land surface changes Regional vegetation and forest monitoring Large wetland area mapping and monitoring Continental-scale land use change detection Regional soil moisture assessment Broad geological feature identification	ecosystems, vegetation
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L2A Global Geolocated Photon Data V006	Global	2018-10-13 to Present	HDF5	Vegetation structure analysis High-precision elevation measurement Ground truth for other elevation datasets Fine-scale topographic change detection	vegetation
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height V006	Global	2018-10-14 to Present	HDF5	Precise forest canopy height mapping Biomass estimation and carbon stock assessment Habitat structure characterization Forest degradation and regrowth monitoring Urban tree canopy assessment Forest inventory support Vegetation structure biodiversity studies	vegetation
Daymet: Annual Climate Summaries on a 1-km Grid for North America, Version 4 R1	North America, Atlantic Ocean	1950-01-01 to 2023-12-31	GeoTiff	Ecological research on climate impacts Forest management and planning Wildlife habitat suitability modeling Disease vector habitat potential mapping Natural resource conservation planning	ecosystem, vegetation
ECOSTRESS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Daily L2 Global 70m V001	Global Land	2018-07-09 to 2025-01-06	HDF5	Plant water stress detection at field scale High-resolution thermal mapping Microclimate analysis in complex landscapes Ecosystem function monitoring	vegetation
ECOSTRESS Tiled Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Instantaneous L2 Global 70 m	Global Land	2018-07-09 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)	Plant water stress monitoring Ecosystem thermodynamics research Environmental temperature extremes monitoring	vegetation
GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002	Global Land	2019-04-04 to 2023-03-16 2024-04-04 to Present	HDF5	Forest canopy structure characterization Biomass estimation for carbon accounting Biodiversity habitat structure assessment Ecosystem structure monitoring Terrain model refinement under vegetation Carbon sequestration potential assessment	ecological dynamics, vegetation
GEDI L4A Footprint Level Aboveground Biomass Density, Version 2.1	Global	2019-04-17 to 2024-11-27	HDF5	Carbon stock assessment in forests Forest management planning Biodiversity habitat structure analysis Sustainable forestry certification support Forest degradation assessment Ecosystem service valuation	ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
GEDI L4C Footprint Level Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 2	Global	2019-04-17 to 2023-03-16	Binary	Habitat complexity analysis for biodiversity Old-growth forest identification Forest succession stage mapping Wildlife habitat quality assessment Forest management impact evaluation Forest restoration planning Canopy architecture research	ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
Global Aboveground and Belowground Biomass Carbon Density Maps for the Year 2010	Global Land	2010-01-01 to 2010-12-31	GeoTIFF	Global carbon stock accounting Forest conservation priority setting Carbon offset project development Ecosystem service valuation Land use policy development Biodiversity conservation planning	ecosystems, ecological dynamics, vegetation
HLS Landsat Operational Land Imager Surface Reflectance and TOA Brightness Daily Global 30m v2.0	Global	2013-04-11 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTiff (COG)	Land cover and land use change monitoring Forest disturbance detection Ecosystem service assessment Environmental impact monitoring	vegetation
HLS Sentinel-2 Multi-spectral Instrument Surface Reflectance Daily Global 30m v2.0	Global	2013-04-11 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTiff (COG)	High temporal frequency vegetation monitoring Forest health assessment Biodiversity and habitat monitoring	vegetation
MAIAC Daily V01	Global	2015-06-13 to Present	PNG	Enhanced retrieval of surface reflectance for vegetation studies	vegetation
MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Climate model validation for land surface processes Wildlife habitat thermal condition assessment Land surface process energy balance studies	ecological dynamics
MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250m SIN Grid V061	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Vegetation condition monitoring Land cover change detection Drought impact evaluation on vegetation	vegetation
SENTINEL-1A_SLC	Global	2014-04-03 to Present		Interferometric analysis for surface deformation detection Coherence-based change detection Phase-based classification of land cover Development of advanced SAR processing algorithms Time-series analysis for subtle change detection	terrestrial ecosystems
SENTINEL-1B_DUAL_POL_GRD_HIGH_RES	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Forest disturbance monitoring Land subsidence detection in urban areas	terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
SENTINEL-1B_SLC	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Complex coherence analysis for vegetation structure Time-series analysis for seasonal change patterns	terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1km SIN Grid Day V002	Global	2018-01-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Daily thermal environment monitoring Ecological habitat thermal characterization	ecological dynamics
VIIRS/NPP Burned Area Monthly L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V002	Global	2012-03-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Ecosystem disturbance tracking Protected area management Forest management and restoration planning Biodiversity impact assessment after fires	ecological dynamics, vegetation
VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid Day	Global	2018-01-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Climate change impact studies on land surface Wildlife habitat thermal condition assessment	ecological dynamics

Biosphere Datasets

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
Circumpolar Fire Polygons with NBR, dNBR, RdNBR Metrics and Ecoregions, 1986-2020	1	COMPUTERS	Computer	1986-01-01 to 2020-12-31	N: 84.0695 S: 33.6975 E: 179.99 W: -179.99		GeoPackage
CLASIC07 In Situ Vegetation Data V001	1	FIELD SURVEYS	SOIL SAMPLER	2007-06-10 to 2007-07-03	N: 35.21 S: 34.79 E: -97.95 W: -98.6	800 Meters x 800 Meters	ASCII
CLASIC07 Vegetation Water Content Map V001	1	IRS-P6	AWIFS	2007-07-15 to 2007-07-15	N: 37.23 S: 34.35 E: -95.47 W: -99.53	56 Meters x 56 Meters	Binary, ASCII
Classification of Global Forests for IPCC Aboveground Biomass Tier 1 Estimates, 2020	1	COMPUTERS	Computer	2020-01-01 to 2020-12-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		COG
CLM Simulated Solar-Induced Fluorescence, Niwot Ridge, Colorado, USA, 1998-2018	1	CLM-LSM	Computer	1998-01-01 to 2019-01-01	N: 40.0329 S: 40.0329 E: -105.546 W: -105.546		netCDF-4 classic
CLM5-DART Regional Carbon Fluxes and Stocks over the Western US, 1998-2010	1	MODELS	Computer	1998-01-01 to 2010-12-31	N: 50.8901 S: 25.445 E: -99.375 W: -130.625		netCDF-3
CMS: Aboveground Biomass for Mangrove Forest, Zambezi River Delta, Mozambique	1	FIELD SURVEYS, Airplane	HYPSOMETERS, LIDAR	2012-09-01 to 2014-05-05	N: -18.7866 S: -18.8987 E: 36.2925 W: 36.1489		multiple
CMS: Aboveground Biomass from Penobscot Experimental Forest, Maine, 2012	1	Airplane	LIDAR	2012-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 44.8726 S: 44.8269 E: -68.5862 W: -68.6443		GeoTIFF
CMS: Annual Estimates of Global Riverine Nitrous Oxide Emissions, 1900-2016	1	MODELS	Computer	1900-01-01 to 2016-12-31	N: 88.5 S: -88.5 E: 180 W: -180		GeoTIFF
CMS: Carbon Fluxes from Global Agricultural Production and Consumption, 2005-2011	1	MODELS	Computer	2005-01-01 to 2011-12-31	N: 83.637 S: -59.463 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
CMS: Daily Gross Primary Productivity over CONUS from TROPOMI SIF, 2018-2021	1	Sentinel-5P	TROPOMI	2018-02-15 to 2021-10-15	N: 50 S: 23.9975 E: -64.9993 W: -125.002		netCDF-4
CMS: Estimated Deforested Area Biomass, Tropical America, Africa, and Asia, 2000	1	SATELLITES, COMPUTERS, LANDSAT-7	GLAS, Computer, ETM+	2000-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 30 S: -29.9999 E: 180 W: -119		GeoTIFF
CMS: Evapotranspiration and Meteorology, Water-Limited Shrublands, Mexico, 2008-2010	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS, METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS	SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES, IRGA, SOIL MOISTURE PROBE, RAIN GAUGES	2008-01-01 to 2010-12-31	N: 32.0301 S: 29.741 E: -110.534 W: -116.605		CSV
CMS: Forest Aboveground Biomass from FIA Plots across the Conterminous USA, 2009-2019	1	FIELD SURVEYS	Computer	2009-01-01 to 2019-12-31	N: 49.5076 S: 24.3193 E: -66.6917 W: -125.009		multiple
CMS: Forest Biomass and Productivity, 1-degree and 5-km, Conterminous US, 2005	1	Models	Computer	2005-01-01 to 2005-12-31	N: 52 S: 21 E: -65 W: -129		netCDF-4
CMS: Forest Carbon Stocks, Emissions, and Net Flux for the Conterminous US: 2005-2010	1	MODELS	Computer	2005-01-01 to 2010-12-31	N: 50 S: 19.2881 E: -55.8472 W: -136.153		GeoTIFF
CMS: Forest Inventory and Biophysical Measurements, Para, Brazil, 2012-2014	1	FIELD SURVEYS	STEEL MEASURING TAPE, CLINOMETERS	2012-01-27 to 2014-04-25	N: -3.30775 S: -3.76381 E: -47.5112 W: -48.4976		CSV
CMS: GLAS LiDAR-derived Global Estimates of Forest Canopy Height, 2004-2008	1	SATELLITES	LIDAR	2004-10-03 to 2004-11-08	N: 69.2936 S: -55.4513 E: 179.893 W: -161.413		CSV
CMS: Global 0.5-deg Wetland Methane Emissions and Uncertainty (WetCHARTs v1.0)	1	MODELS	Computer	2001-01-01 to 2015-12-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		multiple
CMS: Global 0.5-deg Wetland Methane Emissions and Uncertainty (WetCHARTs v1.3.3)	1.3.3	COMPUTERS	Computer	2001-01-01 to 2022-08-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-3
CMS: Global Mangrove Canopy Height Maps Derived from TanDEM-X, 2015	1	COMPUTERS	Computer	2015-01-01 to 2022-05-22	N: 34.1 S: -39.1 E: 180 W: -180		multiple
CMS: Land Cover Projections (5.6-km) from GCAM v3.1 for Conterminous USA, 2005-2095	1	MODELS	Computer	2005-01-01 to 2095-12-31	N: 49.35 S: 25.25 E: -67.09 W: -124.69		netCDF-4 classic
CMS: LiDAR Biomass Improved for High Biomass Forests, Sonoma County, CA, USA, 2013	1	CESSNA SINGLE-ENGINE AIRCRAFT, FIELD SURVEYS	BACKSCATTER LIDAR, STEEL MEASURING TAPE	2013-09-01 to 2013-09-01	N: 38.8548 S: 38.1067 E: -122.34 W: -123.539		GeoTIFF
CMS: LiDAR Data for Forested Areas in Paragominas, Para, Brazil, 2012-2014	1	Airplane	LIDAR	2012-07-27 to 2014-12-27	N: -2.55319 S: -3.76718 E: -46.7931 W: -48.4958		multiple
CMS: LiDAR Data for Mangrove Forests in the Zambezi River Delta, Mozambique, 2014	1	Airplane	AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER	2014-05-05 to 2014-05-05	N: -18.7928 S: -18.893 E: 36.2918 W: 36.1495		multiple

VIIRS

Vegetation indices measure the amount of green vegetation over a given area and can be used to assess vegetation health. A commonly-used vegetation index is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which uses the difference between near-infrared (NIR) and red reflectance divided by their sum. NDVI values range from -1 to 1. Low values of NDVI generally correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, exposed soils, or snow, while higher NDVI values indicate greener vegetation, including forests, croplands, and wetlands.

VIIRS Vegetation Indices on Earthdata Search

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Biosphere Data Access and Tools

Commonly Used Datasets for Applications in the Biosphere

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Biosphere Data Tools

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