We are in the process of migrating all NASA Earth science data sites into Earthdata from now until end of 2026. Not all NASA Earth science data and resources will appear here until then. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.
Read about the Web Unification Project
Topography Data Access and Tools
NASA data detail topography across the land surface, ocean, cryosphere, terrestrial hydrosphere and within the context of climate change. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.
Topography Datasets
| Dataset Sort descending | Version | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEaSUREs BedMachine Antarctica V004 | 4 | MODELS | NOT APPLICABLE | 1970-01-01 to 2019-10-01 |
N: -53 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
500 Meters x 500 Meters | netCDF-4 |
| MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXFLX) at GES DISC | 5.12.4 | MERRA-2 | NOT APPLICABLE | 1980-01-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXFLX) at GES DISC | 5.12.4 | MERRA-2 | NOT APPLICABLE | 1980-01-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXFLX) at GES DISC | 5.12.4 | MERRA-2 | NOT APPLICABLE | 1980-01-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| Modified Copernicus Digital Elevation Models used by the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission | 1 | DEM | 2024-10-30 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
GeoTIFF, XML | ||
| MODIS/Aqua Geolocation Fields 1km 5-Min 1A Narrow Swath Subset along CloudSat V002 (MAC03S0) at GES DISC | 002 | Aqua | MODIS | 2006-06-02 to 2018-03-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers | |
| MODIS/Aqua Geolocation Fields 1km 5-Min 1A Swath Subset along MLS V002 (MAM03S0) at GES DISC | 002 | Aqua | MODIS | 2004-08-08 to 2008-01-11 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers | |
| MODIS/Aqua Geolocation Fields 1km 5-Min 1A Wide Swath Subset along CloudSat V002 (MAC03S1) at GES DISC | 002 | Aqua | MODIS | 2006-06-02 to 2018-03-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers | |
| MODIS/Aqua Water Reservoir 8-Day L3 Global V061 | 061 | Aqua | MODIS | 2002-07-04 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF-EOS2 | |
| MODIS/Aqua Water Reservoir Monthly L3 Global V061 | 061 | Aqua | MODIS | 2002-07-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF-EOS2 | |
| MODIS/Terra Water Reservoir 8-Day L3 Global V061 | 061 | Terra | MODIS | 2000-02-26 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF4 | |
| MODIS/Terra Water Reservoir Monthly L3 Global V061 | 061 | Terra | MODIS | 2000-03-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF4 | |
| Multispectral Imagery, NDVI, and Terrain Models, Big Trail Lake, Fairbanks, AK, 2019 | 1 | UAV | MULTI-SPECTRAL | 2019-08-04 to 2019-08-04 |
N: 64.9233 S: 64.9162 E: -147.813 W: -147.829 |
multiple | |
| NACP Soil Organic Matter of Burned Boreal Black Spruce Forests, Alaska, 2009-2011 | 1 | FIELD SURVEYS | 2009-08-01 to 2011-08-02 |
N: 65.7019 S: 63.8201 E: -141.418 W: -149.193 |
CSV | ||
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Combined Image Data Set V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | Binary |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 1 arc second number V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | Binary |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 1 arc second V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | HGT |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 3 arc second number V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
90 Meters x 90 Meters | Binary |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 3 arc second sub-sampled V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
90 Meters x 90 Meters | HGT |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 3 arc second V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
90 Meters x 90 Meters | HGT |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 30 arc second V002 | 002 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
1000 Meters x 1000 Meters | DEM |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Swath Image Data V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | Binary |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission United States 1 arc second | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 49 S: 24 E: -67 W: -125 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | HGT |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission United States 1 arc second number | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 49 S: 24 E: -67 W: -125 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | Binary |
| NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Water Body Data Shapefiles & Raster Files V003 | 003 | STS-99 | SRTM | 2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21 |
N: 60 S: -56 E: 180 W: -180 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | Binary |
Topography Featured Observation Method: ICESat-2
NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) allows scientists to measure the elevation of ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and land across Earth's temperate and tropical regions, as well as take stock of the vegetation in forests worldwide. ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends 10,000 pulses of laser light to the ground per second and then measures how long it takes them be reflected back by the surface to determine the area's elevation.
Learn more about ICESat-2/ATLAS near real-time data provided by NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE).
ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends pulses of laser light to the ground, collects the returning photons in a telescope, and records the photon travel time.
Learn more about ICESat-2/ATLAS near real-time data provided by NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE).
ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends pulses of laser light to the ground, collects the returning photons in a telescope, and records the photon travel time.
Data from NASA’s ICESat-2 mission provide incredibly accurate measurements of Earth elevation change—and much more.
8 MIN READ
The five new datasets are the result of a joint effort by NASA’s Satellite Needs Working Group Management Office (SNWG MO), ICESat-2 team, and Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE).
3 MIN READ
This is the first in a five-part webinar series to introduce NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation-2 (ICESat-2) platform and the platform's data, tools, and applications.
This ACCESS 2015 project focused on OpenAltimetry, a cloud-ready web-based application for discovery, access, and visualization of ICESat and ICESat-2 data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthdata Forum
Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.
Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses