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Description

This data set, part of the NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) program, contains seasonal (winter) ice sheet-wide velocity maps for Greenland. The maps are derived from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data obtained by the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) RADARSAT-1, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS), and the German Aerospace Center's (DLR) TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (TSX/TDX) satellites, as well as from the European Space Agency's (ESA) C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar data from Copernicus Sentinel-1A and -1B.

See <a href="http://nsidc.org/data/measures/gimp">Greenland Ice Mapping Project (GIMP)</a> for related data.

Version Description

For Version 2, all velocity maps underwent quality control screening to remove erroneous data points. In addition, the following measures were performed:
  • Added new map for 2009/2010.
  • Added ALOS fine-beam data to improve coverage in 2006/2007, 2007/2008, and 2008/2009.
  • Corrected a substantial error on Rink glacier where the time interval was off by a factor of 2.
  • Improved baseline fits for consistency in the interior of the ice sheet.
  • Updated error estimates to better represent the average behavior of the data.
  • Added/updated shapefiles of satellite tracks for 2014 to 2018 winters.
  • Added browse files for 2014 to 2018 winters.
  • Updated the velocity magnitude (vv) file name.
  • Changed the missing data value for the velocity magnitude (vv) files to -1 and set it as the attribute in all files.

Product Summary

Platforms
ALOS ,
RADARSAT-1 ,
Sentinel-1A ,
Sentinel-1B ,
TDX ,
TSX
Instruments
PALSAR ,
SAR ,
C-SAR
Spatial Extent

N: 83 S: 60 E: -14 W: -75

Spatial Resolution
200 Meters x 200 Meters
500 Meters x 500 Meters
Spatial Reference System(s)
WGS 84 / NSIDC Sea Ice Polar Stereographic North (EPSG:3413)
Location
GREENLAND
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2006-12-18 to 2007-06-06
Temporal Resolution
Varies
Concept ID
C3291179132-NSIDC_CPRD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
26
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Ice Velocity

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

Joughin, I., Smith, B., Howat, I., & Scambos, T. (2015). MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Sheet Velocity Map from InSAR Data, Version 2 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/OC7B04ZM9G6Q Date Accessed: 2026-06-10

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

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Title Year Author Topic
Linking crystallographic orientation and ice stream dynamics: evidence from the EastGRIP ice core Stoll, Nicolas, Weikusat, Ilka, Jansen, Daniela, Bons, Paul, Daranyi, Kyra, Westhoff, Julien, Llorens, Maria-Gema, Wallis, David, Eichler, Jan, Saruya, Tomotaka, Homma, Tomoyuki, Rasmussen, Sune Olander, Sinnl, Giulia, Svensson, Anders, Drury, Martyn, Wilhelms, Frank, Kipfstuhl, Sepp, Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe, Kerch, Johanna Ice Velocity
A stratigraphy-based method for reconstructing ice core orientation Westhoff, Julien, Stoll, Nicolas, Franke, Steven, Weikusat, Ilka, Bons, Paul, Kerch, Johanna, Jansen, Daniela, Kipfstuhl, Sepp, Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe Ice Velocity
How different analysis and interpolation methods affect the accuracy of ice surface elevation changes inferred from satellite altimetry Stroenreuther, Undine, Horwath, Martin, Schroder, Ludwig Ice Velocity
LIVVkit 2.1: automated and extensible ice sheet model validation Evans, Katherine J., Kennedy, Joseph H., Lu, Dan, Forrester, Mary M., Price, Stephen, Fyke, Jeremy, Bennett, Andrew R., Hoffman, Matthew J., Tezaur, Irina, Zender, Charles S., Vizcaino, Miren Ice Velocity
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier Wagner, Till J. W., Straneo, Fiamma, Richards, Clark G., Slater, Donald A., Stevens, Laura A., Das, Sarah B., Singh, Hanumant Ice Velocity
Submarine moraines in Southeast Greenland fjords reveal contrasting outletglacier behavior since the Last Glacial Maximum Batchelor, C. L., Dowdeswell, J. A., Rignot, E., Millan, R. Ice Velocity
A complete map of Greenland ice velocity derived from satellite data collected over 20 years JOUGHIN, IAN, SMITH, BEN E., HOWAT, IAN M. Ice Velocity
Basal control of supraglacial meltwater catchments on the Greenland Ice Sheet Crozier, Josh, Karlstrom, Leif, Yang, Kang Ice Velocity, Bathymetry, Bed Elevation, Glacier/Ice Sheet Thickness, Terrain Elevation
Climate response to the meltwater runoff from Greenland ice sheet: evolving sensitivity to discharging locations Liu, Yonggang, Hallberg, Robert, Sergienko, Olga, Samuels, Bonnie L., Harrison, Matthew, Oppenheimer, Michael Ice Velocity
Large ice loss variability at Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden glacier, northeast-Greenland Mayer, Christoph, Schaffer, Janin, Hattermann, Tore, Floricioiu, Dana, Krieger, Lukas, Dodd, Paul A., Kanzow, Torsten, Licciulli, Carlo, Schannwell, Clemens Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation, Ice Roughness, Ice Velocity
Design and results of the ice sheet model initialisation experiments initMIP-Greenland: an ISMIP6 intercomparison Goelzer, Heiko, Nowicki, Sophie, Edwards, Tamsin, Beckley, Matthew, Abe-Ouchi, Ayako, Aschwanden, Andy, Calov, Reinhard, Gagliardini, Olivier, Gillet-Chaulet, Fabien, Golledge, Nicholas R., Gregory, Jonathan, Greve, Ralf, Humbert, Angelika, Huybrechts, Philippe, Kennedy, Joseph H., Larour, Eric, Lipscomb, William H., Le clec'h, Sebastien, Lee, Victoria, Morlighem, Mathieu, Pattyn, Frank, Payne, Antony J., Rodehacke, Christian, Ruckamp, Martin, Saito, Fuyuki, Schlegel, Nicole, Seroussi, Helene, Shepherd, Andrew, Sun, Sainan, van de Wal, Roderik, Ziemen, Florian A. Ice Velocity
Greenland Ice Sheet: Higher Nonlinearity of Ice Flow Significantly Reduces Estimated Basal Motion Bons, P. D., Kleiner, T., Llorens, M.G., Prior, D. J., Sachau, T., Weikusat, I., Jansen, D. Ice Velocity
Modelling seasonal meltwater forcing of the velocity of land-terminating margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet Koziol, Conrad P., Arnold, Neil Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation, Ice Velocity
Submarine landforms reveal varying rates and styles of deglaciation in North-West Greenland fjords Batchelor, C.L., Dowdeswell, J.A., Rignot, E. Ice Velocity
Asynchronous behavior of outlet glaciers feeding Godthabsfjord (Nuup Kangerlua) and the triggering of Narsap Sermia's retreat in SW Greenland MOTYKA, ROMAN J., CASSOTTO, RYAN, TRUFFER, MARTIN, KJELDSEN, KRISTIAN K., VAN AS, DIRK, KORSGAARD, NIELS J., FAHNESTOCK, MARK, HOWAT, IAN, LANGEN, PETER L., MORTENSEN, JOHN, LENNERT, KUNUK, RYSGAARD, SREN REFLECTED INFRARED, THERMAL INFRARED, VISIBLE IMAGERY, Ice Velocity
Iceberg properties and distributions in three Greenlandic fjords using satellite imagery Sulak, Daniel J., Sutherland, David A., Enderlin, Ellyn M., Stearns, Leigh A., Hamilton, Gordon S. Ice Velocity
Incorporating modelled subglacial hydrology into inversions for basal drag Koziol, Conrad P., Arnold, Neil Ice Velocity
Error sources in basal yield stress inversions for Jakobshavn Isbr, Greenland, derived from residual patterns of misfit to observations HABERMANN, MARIJKE, TRUFFER, MARTIN, MAXWELL, DAVID Ice Velocity
Formation and development of supraglacial lakes in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet CHEN, CHRISTINE, HOWAT, IAN M., DE LA PENA, SANTIAGO Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation, Ice Roughness, Glacier Topography/Ice Sheet Topography, RADAR IMAGERY, Sea Ice Elevation, Sea Ice Elevation, Snow Cover, Ice Velocity
Quantifying supraglacial meltwater pathways in the Paakitsoq region, West Greenland KOZIOL, CONRAD, ARNOLD, NEIL, POPE, ALLEN, COLGAN, WILLIAM Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation, Ice Velocity
Internally drained catchments dominate supraglacial hydrology of the Yang, Kang, Smith, Laurence C. Ice Velocity
Increased mass loss and asynchronous behavior of marine-terminating outlet glaciers at Upernavik Isstrm, NW Greenland Larsen, Signe Hillerup, Khan, Shfaqat Abbas, Ahlstrm, Andreas Peter, Hvidberg, Christine Schtt, Willis, Michael John, Andersen, Signe Bech Ice Velocity
Distribution of preferred ice crystal orientation determined from seismic anisotropy: Evidence from Jakobshavn Isbr and the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling ... Velez, Jose A., Tsoflias, Georgios P., Black, Ross A., Van der Veen, Cornelis J., Anandakrishnan, Sridhar Ice Velocity
Fluvial supraglacial landscape evolution on the Greenland Ice Sheet Karlstrom, Leif, Yang, Kang Ice Velocity
Subglacial lake drainage detected beneath the Greenland ice sheet Palmer, Steven, McMillan, Malcolm, Morlighem, Mathieu Ice Velocity, Terrain Elevation
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