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
Derived Vegetation Water Content used by the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission	1	Terra	MODIS	2022-10-31	N: 79 S: -60 E: 180 W: -180	200 Meters x 200 Meters	HDF5
Development and Evolution of NASA Satellite Remote Sensing for Ecology	1	Publications	Computer	1972-01-01 to 2014-12-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		PDF
Digital Elevation Models for the Global Change Research Wetland, Maryland, USA, 2016	1	Airplane, FIELD SURVEYS, COASTAL STATIONS, MODELS	LIDAR, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, GPS RECEIVERS, TIDE GAUGES, Computer	2016-06-22 to 2016-08-15	N: 38.8789 S: 38.8717 E: -76.5427 W: -76.5525		multiple
Distribution of Estimated Stand Age Across Siberian Larch Forests, 1989-2012	1	LANDSAT, MODELS, Terra	ETM+, TM, Computer, MODIS	1989-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 67 S: 49 E: 143 W: 90		GeoTIFF
Distribution of Young Forests and Estimated Stand Age across Russia, 2012	1	Aqua, Terra, LANDSAT-7, LANDSAT-5	MODIS, ETM+, TM	2012-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 87.2402 S: 32.8631 E: 180 W: -180		GeoTIFF
Disturbance History and Forest Biomass from Landsat for Six US Sites, 1985-2014	1	FIELD SURVEYS, LANDSAT	STEEL MEASURING TAPE, LIDAR	1984-01-01 to 2014-12-31	N: 48.2886 S: 32.2654 E: -68.4809 W: -123.235		netCDF-4 classic
ECHIDNA LIDAR Campaigns: Forest Canopy Imagery and Field Data, U.S.A., 2007-2009	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	2007-08-01 to 2009-08-05	N: 45.2148 S: 36.961 E: -68.7236 W: -119.249		multiple
ECMWF SMST Data	1	ECMWF		2025-08-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.1 Decimal Degrees x 0.1 Decimal Degrees	netCDF-3
ECOSTRESS Water Use Efficiency Daily L4 Global 70m V001	001	ISS	ECOSTRESS	2018-07-15 to 2023-02-25	N: 54 S: -54 E: 180 W: -180	70 Meters x 70 Meters	HDF5
Ecosys Model-Estimated Cropland Carbon Fluxes, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, 2001-2018	1	COMPUTERS	Computer	2001-01-01 to 2018-12-31	N: 43.5012 S: 36.9703 E: -84.7846 W: -96.6397		Shapefile
Ecosystem Demography Model: Scaling Vegetation Dynamics Across South America	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1987-01-01 to 1988-12-31	N: 15 S: -15 E: -30 W: -85		multiple
Ecosystem Demography Model: U.S. Ecosystem Carbon Stocks and Fluxes, 1700-1990	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1700-01-01 to 1990-12-31	N: 52 S: 21.5 E: -30.5 W: -164.5		multiple
Ecosystem Functional Type Distribution Map for Mexico, 2001-2014	1	Terra, MODELS	MODIS, Computer	2001-01-01 to 2014-12-31	N: 33 S: 14 E: -86 W: -118.4		GeoTIFF
Ecosystem Functional Type Distribution Map for the Conterminous USA, 2001-2014	1	MODELS, Terra	Computer, MODIS	2001-01-01 to 2014-12-31	N: 49.36 S: 24.55 E: -67 W: -124.77		GeoTIFF
Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide on Litter Chemistry and Decomposition	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1993-01-01 to 2000-11-21	N: 76.63 S: -47.31 E: 179.41 W: -180		Text File
EMIT L4 Earth System Model Products V001	001	ISS	EMIT Imaging Spectrometer	2007-01-01	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1.25 Decimal Degrees x 1 Decimal Degrees 2.5 Decimal Degrees x 2 Decimal Degrees	netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-2 Regional Full Resolution, Full Swath (FRS) Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-2 Regional Reduced Resolution (RR) Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-3 Global Binned Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-3 Global Binned Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-3 Global Mapped Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-3 Global Mapped Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-4 Global Binned Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Model (GSM) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-4 Global Binned Phytoplankton Carbon Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
ENVISAT MERIS Level-4 Global Mapped Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Model (GSM) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ENVISAT	MERIS	2002-03-21 to 2012-05-09	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4

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

Biosphere Datasets

Biosphere Data Tools

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