Changes in Availability of Historical ASF Datasets

Beginning October 1, 2026, several historical synthetic aperture radar (SAR) datasets held by the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) will no longer be available through ASF’s regular data search and download tools.

The change applies to the following datasets:

• ERS-1 (August 8, 1991 – September 29, 1997): Radar images used to study land, oceans, and ice; collected by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellite
• ERS-2 (October 1, 1995 – July 4, 2011): Radar images used to study polar ice, oceans, land, and changes on Earth’s surface; also operated by ESA
  • ERS-1 and ERS-2 SAR Level 1 and Level 0 products can be accessed via ESA’s Earth Online Gateway
    Level1
    Level0
• JERS-1 (May 20, 1992 – October 11, 1998): Radar images used to map forests, wetlands, and other land areas around the world; Japanese Earth Resources Satellite 1 (JERS-1, also known as FUYO-1) was operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
  • Users can find and download Level 0 and Level 2.1 JERS-1 data from JAXA’s G-Portal
• RADARSAT-1 (February 1, 1996 – March 17, 2009): Radar images used to study sea ice, floods, wetlands, forests, and changes on Earth’s surface; operated by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) 
  • These products are also available through the CSA Open Data Portal

Newer versions of data from these satellites may be available directly from ESA, JAXA, and CSA in standard SAR formats.

In addition, the following datasets will be temporarily unavailable online. The specific date at which they will become available again online is to be determined:

• AIRSAR (1998–2004): Airborne SAR data collected at select locations.
• GISMO (2006–2008): Airborne radar data collected over Greenland to measure the ice sheet’s surface, thickness, and the land beneath the ice.
• Glacier Speed (winters from 2007–2010): Maps that showed how fast many of Alaska’s glaciers were moving. The maps were made from ALOS PALSAR radar images.
• RAMP (September 9–October 20, 1997, and September 3–November 17, 2000): RADARSAT-1 maps of Antarctica created to study the ice sheet, coastline, and movement of the ice.
• Sea Ice MEaSUREs (1995–2011): Maps and measurements showing how sea ice moved and changed across the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean.
• Wetlands MEaSUREs (1993–2009): Maps showing where wetlands and surface water were found, the types of plants present, and how flooded areas changed over time.

To request any of these data, email ASF User Services. Please include the dataset name, specify the required geographic area, and provide a date range for your request.