Background
The Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG)-2018 assessment found that agencies would benefit significantly from reduced latency of select measurements from the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). This effort focused on reducing latency from the original 45-day science mode data latency to 3 days, thereby helping to satisfy agencies' satellite needs. Agencies also expressed interest in low latency freeboard thickness measurements, specifically over the Great Lakes region for navigation, commerce, and safety.
Status:
Some Data are Available Now with Additional Data Coming Soon
The team has operationally released reduced-latency versions of existing products for ICESat-2 and analyzed the uncertainty of these products. This has been a necessary step toward the capability for a low-latency lake ice freeboard thickness product. The five expedited products are now discoverable through NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE) and available at the National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC).
Higher quality, longer-latency products remain available in the permanent data archive. The team has begun investigating a new algorithm approach for the proposed lake ice thickness data product. This approach builds on the ATLAS/ICESat-2 Level 3A Sea Ice Freeboard Quick Look (ATL10QL) product and a new ice-water discrimination algorithm for lakes from the ATLAS/ICESat-2 Level 3A Along Track Inland Surface Water Data Quick Look (ATL13QL) product.
Specific Products
- Sea Ice Height Quick Look (ATL07QL) doi:10.5067/ATLAS/ATL07QL.005
- ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height Quick Look (ATL08QL) doi:10.5067/ATLAS/ATL08QL.005
Calibrated Backscatter Profiles and Atmospheric Layer Characteristics Quick Look (ATL09QL) doi:10.5067/ATLAS/ATL09QL.005 - Sea Ice Freeboard Quick Look (ATL10QL) doi:10.5067/ATLAS/ATL10QL.005
- Along Track Inland Surface Water Data Quick Look (ATL13QL) doi:10.5067/ATLAS/ATL13QL.005
Solution Characteristics
| Products | ATL07QL: Sea Ice Height |
|---|---|
| ATL08QL: Land and Vegetation Height | |
| ATL09QL: Atmospheric Layer Characteristics | |
| ATL10QL: Sea Ice Freeboard | |
| ATL13QL: Inland Surface Water Height | |
| Processing Level | 3A |
| Temporal Coverage | Quick-look data: Most recent months Full mission data: October 2018 - present Note that quick-look data are replaced with final data when available |
| Temporal Resolution | 91-day repeat cycle, 15 orbits per day (the orbit's sub-cycle achieves monthly global coverage) |
| Latency | Approximately 72 hours |
| Spatial Coverage | Global |
| Spatial Resolution | Varies (approximately 10-300 m) |
| Data Format | HDF5 |
Societal Impact
The low-latency ICESat-2/ATLAS products help provide accurate ice mapping for safe commercial shipping and fishing, all of which are vital to the economic interests of the Great Lakes region. The low latency data have had broad impacts beyond just the monitoring and supporting icebreaker transits through sea ice regions.
Solution Resources
Need help using this solution? For more information, visit the following resources:
- ICESat-2 Quick Look data
- ICESat-2 Quick Look Products: SNWG Solution Fact Sheet
- Training Resources: Low Latency ICESat-2/ATLAS Products
- National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC)
- Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE)