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Glaciers/Ice Sheets Data Access and Tools
Glaciers and ice sheets data from NASA range from frequently updated high-resolution instrument imagery to radar altimeter measurements. Our datasets and tools help users find and integrate the data they need to measure the location, size, and other characteristics of glaciers and ice sheets.
Glaciers/Ice Sheets Datasets
| Dataset | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Spatial Extent | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLAS/ICESat L1B Global Waveform-based Range Corrections Data (HDF5) V034 | ICESat | ALTIMETERS, CD, GLAS, GPS, GPS Receiver, LA, PC | 2003-02-20 to 2009-10-11 | GLOBAL | N: 86 S: -86 E: 180 W: -180 | HDF |
| GLAS/ICESat L2 Global Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheet Altimetry Data (HDF5) V034 | ICESat | ALTIMETERS, CD, GLAS, GPS, GPS Receiver, LA, PC | 2003-02-20 to 2009-10-11 | GLOBAL | N: 86 S: -86 E: 180 W: -180 | HDF |
| Global Glacier Debris Thickness Estimates and Sub-Debris Melt Factors V001 | LANDSAT-8, MODELS | OLI, NOT APPLICABLE | 2000-01-01 to 2018-12-31 | GLOBAL LAND | N: 84 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 | XML, GeoTIFF, CSV, ASCII |
| Global PyGEM-OGGM Glacier Projections with RCP and SSP Scenarios V001 | MODELS | NOT APPLICABLE | 2000-01-01 to 2100-12-31 | GLOBAL LAND | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | netCDF-4 |
| Global Sentinel-1 Burst ID Map | Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2022-05-30 | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | ||
| High Mountain Asia 2 m DEM, Surface Velocity, and Lagrangian Surface Mass Balance for Select Debris Covered Glaciers V001 | GEOEYE-1, WORLDVIEW-1, WORLDVIEW-2, WORLDVIEW-3 | GIS, WV60, WV110 | 2012-12-23 to 2017-12-22 | NEPAL | N: 28.39 S: 28.2 E: 85.77 W: 85.51 | GeoTIFF |
| High Mountain Asia Average Glacier Thickness Change from Multi-Sensor DEMs V001 | HEXAGON KH-9, Terra | CAMERA, ASTER | 1974-01-01 to 2017-12-31 | HIMALAYAS | N: 34.4 S: 27.4 E: 92.9 W: 75.4 | Shapefile, KML |
| High Mountain Asia Glacier Thickness Change Mosaics from Multi-Sensor DEMs V001 | HEXAGON KH-9, Terra | CAMERA, ASTER | 1974-01-01 to 2017-12-31 | HIMALAYAS | N: 34.4 S: 27.4 E: 92.9 W: 75.4 | PNG, GeoTIFF |
| High Mountain Asia Gridded Glacier Thickness Change from Multi-Sensor DEMs V001 | HEXAGON KH-9, Terra | CAMERA, ASTER | 1974-01-01 to 2017-12-31 | HIMALAYAS | N: 34.4 S: 27.4 E: 92.9 W: 75.4 | netCDF-4, GeoTIFF |
| High Mountain Asia Near-Global Multi-Decadal Glacial Lake Inventory V001 | LANDSAT-4, LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-7, LANDSAT-8 | MSS, TM, ETM+, OLI, TIRS | 1990-01-01 to 2018-12-31 | GLOBAL | N: 82.6 S: -55.4 E: 180 W: -180 | Shapefile |
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Featured Observation Glaciers/Ice Sheets Method: ASTER
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a high spatial resolution instrument aboard the Terra satellite. ASTER captures images of Earth in 14 different wavelengths from visible to thermal infrared light as well as provides a Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) of the planet's land surface with 30-meter resolution. ASTER data can be used to create detailed visualizations and maps of land surface temperature, emissivity, reflectance, and elevation including images of glaciers.
The final processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data will make its archive more accessible to users.
8 MIN READ
The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) initiative uses satellite data to track glacier changes, providing vital data for climate and hazard studies.
See ASTER instrument images revealing the transformation of South Korea's Mount Gariwang for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Version 3 of the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) provides new features and sharper imagery.
Glaciers/Ice Sheets Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | Description | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLIMS Glacier Database | Visualize and download data from the GLIMS Glacier Database using the map-based GLIMS Glacier Viewer or search and download data using custom parameters in the GLIMS Text Search Interface. | Downloading, Search and Discovery, Visualization | |
| RTC Stack Processor | The radiometric terrain correction (RTC) stack processor tool facilitates time-series analysis of such phenomena as flooding events, deforestation, or glacier retreat. | Analysis, Processing, Search and Discovery, Visualization | |
| Vertex | Vertex is a graphical search interface for finding synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. | Search and Discovery, Access, Downloading, Processing, Subsetting |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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