Biosphere Data Access and Tools

NASA biosphere data range from surface reflectance data useful for measuring the greenness of vegetation to measurements of nighttime lights that disrupt the behaviors of wildlife. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Dataset	Geographic Region	Temporal Extent	Data Format	Potential Application Areas	Related Subtopics
ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 Level 1 ScanSAR Product	Global	2014-08-01 to Present		Wide-area monitoring of land surface changes Regional vegetation and forest monitoring Large wetland area mapping and monitoring Continental-scale land use change detection Regional soil moisture assessment Broad geological feature identification	ecosystems, vegetation
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L2A Global Geolocated Photon Data V006	Global	2018-10-13 to Present	HDF5	Vegetation structure analysis High-precision elevation measurement Ground truth for other elevation datasets Fine-scale topographic change detection	vegetation
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height V006	Global	2018-10-14 to Present	HDF5	Precise forest canopy height mapping Biomass estimation and carbon stock assessment Habitat structure characterization Forest degradation and regrowth monitoring Urban tree canopy assessment Forest inventory support Vegetation structure biodiversity studies	vegetation
Daymet: Annual Climate Summaries on a 1-km Grid for North America, Version 4 R1	North America, Atlantic Ocean	1950-01-01 to 2023-12-31	GeoTiff	Ecological research on climate impacts Forest management and planning Wildlife habitat suitability modeling Disease vector habitat potential mapping Natural resource conservation planning	ecosystem, vegetation
ECOSTRESS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Daily L2 Global 70m V001	Global Land	2018-07-09 to 2025-01-06	HDF5	Plant water stress detection at field scale High-resolution thermal mapping Microclimate analysis in complex landscapes Ecosystem function monitoring	vegetation
ECOSTRESS Tiled Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Instantaneous L2 Global 70 m	Global Land	2018-07-09 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)	Plant water stress monitoring Ecosystem thermodynamics research Environmental temperature extremes monitoring	vegetation
GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002	Global Land	2019-04-04 to 2023-03-16 2024-04-04 to Present	HDF5	Forest canopy structure characterization Biomass estimation for carbon accounting Biodiversity habitat structure assessment Ecosystem structure monitoring Terrain model refinement under vegetation Carbon sequestration potential assessment	ecological dynamics, vegetation
GEDI L4A Footprint Level Aboveground Biomass Density, Version 2.1	Global	2019-04-17 to 2024-11-27	HDF5	Carbon stock assessment in forests Forest management planning Biodiversity habitat structure analysis Sustainable forestry certification support Forest degradation assessment Ecosystem service valuation	ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
GEDI L4C Footprint Level Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 2	Global	2019-04-17 to 2023-03-16	Binary	Habitat complexity analysis for biodiversity Old-growth forest identification Forest succession stage mapping Wildlife habitat quality assessment Forest management impact evaluation Forest restoration planning Canopy architecture research	ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
Global Aboveground and Belowground Biomass Carbon Density Maps for the Year 2010	Global Land	2010-01-01 to 2010-12-31	GeoTIFF	Global carbon stock accounting Forest conservation priority setting Carbon offset project development Ecosystem service valuation Land use policy development Biodiversity conservation planning	ecosystems, ecological dynamics, vegetation
HLS Landsat Operational Land Imager Surface Reflectance and TOA Brightness Daily Global 30m v2.0	Global	2013-04-11 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTiff (COG)	Land cover and land use change monitoring Forest disturbance detection Ecosystem service assessment Environmental impact monitoring	vegetation
HLS Sentinel-2 Multi-spectral Instrument Surface Reflectance Daily Global 30m v2.0	Global	2013-04-11 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTiff (COG)	High temporal frequency vegetation monitoring Forest health assessment Biodiversity and habitat monitoring	vegetation
MAIAC Daily V01	Global	2015-06-13 to Present	PNG	Enhanced retrieval of surface reflectance for vegetation studies	vegetation
MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Climate model validation for land surface processes Wildlife habitat thermal condition assessment Land surface process energy balance studies	ecological dynamics
MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250m SIN Grid V061	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Vegetation condition monitoring Land cover change detection Drought impact evaluation on vegetation	vegetation
SENTINEL-1A_SLC	Global	2014-04-03 to Present		Interferometric analysis for surface deformation detection Coherence-based change detection Phase-based classification of land cover Development of advanced SAR processing algorithms Time-series analysis for subtle change detection	terrestrial ecosystems
SENTINEL-1B_DUAL_POL_GRD_HIGH_RES	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Forest disturbance monitoring Land subsidence detection in urban areas	terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
SENTINEL-1B_SLC	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Complex coherence analysis for vegetation structure Time-series analysis for seasonal change patterns	terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation
VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1km SIN Grid Day V002	Global	2018-01-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Daily thermal environment monitoring Ecological habitat thermal characterization	ecological dynamics
VIIRS/NPP Burned Area Monthly L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V002	Global	2012-03-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Ecosystem disturbance tracking Protected area management Forest management and restoration planning Biodiversity impact assessment after fires	ecological dynamics, vegetation
VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid Day	Global	2018-01-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Climate change impact studies on land surface Wildlife habitat thermal condition assessment	ecological dynamics

Biosphere Datasets

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Data Format
ABoVE: TVPRM Simulated Net Ecosystem Exchange, Alaskan North Slope, 2008-2017	1	METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS, OCO-2, COMPUTERS, SATELLITES	TEMPERATURE SENSORS, THERMOMETERS, OCO SPECTROMETERS, Computer, MODIS	2008-01-01 to 2017-12-31	N: 77.2626 S: 56.0895 E: -128.592 W: -177.469	netCDF-4 classic
ABoVE: Vegetation Composition across Fire History Gradients on the Y-K Delta, Alaska	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION, LANDSAT	Computer	2017-07-20 to 2018-07-16	N: 62.0883 S: 60.3598 E: -160.938 W: -164.688	multiple
ABoVE: Wetland Inundation Coverage at Yukon Flats, AK and PA Delta, Canada, 2017-2019	1	Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-2A, Sentinel-2B, Sentinel-1B	SAR, Sentinel-2 MSI	2017-05-21 to 2019-10-26	N: 66.8107 S: 58.2464 E: -110.915 W: -146.43	multiple
ABoVE: Wetland Type, Slave River and Peace-Athabasca Deltas, Canada, 2007 and 2017	1	ALOS-2, LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-8, Sentinel-1A, ERS-2, ALOS	PALSAR-2, IMAGING RADIOMETERS, PALSAR	2006-06-14 to 2019-05-28	N: 61.7919 S: 57.7746 E: -109.643 W: -115.291	multiple
ABoVE: Wetland Vegetation Classification for Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada, 2019	1	PIPER NAVAJO CHIEFTAIN, G-III, B-200	Riegl Airborne Lidar, UAVSAR, AVIRIS-NG	2019-07-15 to 2019-09-15	N: 59.1425 S: 58.2123 E: -110.832 W: -112.107	multiple
ABoVE: White Spruce Photosynthetic and Leaf Traits, Alaska and New York, 2017	1	FIELD SURVEYS	LICOR GAS EXCHANGE SYSTEM, SPECTRORADIOMETERS, CAMERA	2017-06-19 to 2017-07-20	N: 67.9947 S: 41.4011 E: -74.0246 W: -149.754	CSV
ABoVE: Wildfire Carbon Emissions and Burned Plot Characteristics, NWT, CA, 2014-2016	1	MODELS, FIELD SURVEYS, LABORATORY	Computer, STEEL MEASURING TAPE, CARBON ANALYZERS	2014-07-02 to 2016-08-01	N: 71.6982 S: 56.2534 E: -102 W: -136.127	multiple
ABoVE: Wildfire Date of Burning within Fire Scars across Alaska and Canada, 2001-2019	1.1	COMPUTERS, SATELLITES	Computer, MODIS	2001-01-01 to 2019-12-31	N: 70.1592 S: 41.7456 E: -53.8267 W: -178.841	Shapefile
ABoVE: Wolf Denning Phenology and Reproductive Success, Alaska and Canada, 2000-2017	1	FIELD SURVEYS, MODELS, Terra	GPS, Computer, MODIS	2000-03-29 to 2017-08-31	N: 67.8362 S: 52.9705 E: -112.967 W: -154.581	CSV
Aboveground Biomass Change for Amazon Basin, Mexico, and Pantropical Belt, 2003-2016	1	ICESat, MODELS, Aqua, Terra	GLAS, Computer, MODIS	2003-01-01 to 2016-12-31	N: 40 S: -30 E: 180 W: -180	GeoTIFF
Aboveground Biomass Density for High Latitude Forests from ICESat-2, 2020	1	ICESat-2, Sentinel-2A	ATLAS, Sentinel-2 MSI	2019-06-01 to 2021-09-30	N: 78.5313 S: 43.705 E: 178.399 W: -179.818	multiple
Aboveground Biomass Estimates for Salt Marsh for the Contiguous United States, 2020	1	COMPUTERS, Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B, Sentinel-2A, Sentinel-2B	Computer, SAR	2020-01-01 to 2020-12-31	N: 49.0042 S: 24.5181 E: -66.935 W: -124.74	COG
Aboveground Biomass for Howland Forest, Maine, 2012-2023	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION, COMPUTERS, G-LiHT	DBH Tape, Computer, LIDAR	2012-01-01 to 2023-12-31	N: 45.2144 S: 45.1961 E: -68.7325 W: -68.7561	COG
Aboveground Biomass from SAR, Great Slave Lake Region, NWT, 2019	1	ALOS-2, G-III	L-SAR, UAVSAR	2019-01-01 to 2019-12-31	N: 62.9107 S: 60.6333 E: -112.286 W: -118.171	COG
Aboveground Biomass High-Resolution Maps for Selected US Tidal Marshes, 2015	1.1	Sentinel-1A, LANDSAT	SENTINEL-1 C-SAR, ETM+	2015-08-01 to 2015-09-01	N: 47.1174 S: 25.092 E: -69.9261 W: -122.734	GeoTIFF
Aboveground Biomass, Landcover, and Degradation, Kalimantan Forests, Indonesia, 2014	1	FIELD SURVEYS, Airplane, MODELS	STEEL MEASURING TAPE, LIDAR, Computer	2014-10-18 to 2014-11-30	N: 8 S: -5 E: 120 W: 108	multiple
Aboveground Biomass Maps for Howland Research Forest, Maine, 2012-2025	2	G-LiHT, AIRCRAFT, FIELD SURVEYS	Headwall, Riegl Airborne Lidar, AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER, SURVEYING TOOLS	2012-01-01 to 2025-12-31	N: 45.2278 S: 45.1902 E: -68.7064 W: -68.7578	COG
ACT-America: Gridded Ensembles of Surface Biogenic Carbon Fluxes, 2003-2019	1.1	MODELS	Computer	2003-01-01 to 2019-12-31	N: 70.5 S: 0.5 E: -24.5 W: -176	netCDF-4
ADEOS-I OCTS Level-2 Regional Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ADEOS-I	OCTS	1996-10-31 to 1997-06-30	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	netCDF-4
ADEOS-I OCTS Level-3 Global Binned Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ADEOS-I	OCTS	1996-10-31 to 1997-06-30	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	netCDF-4
ADEOS-I OCTS Level-3 Global Binned Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ADEOS-I	OCTS	1996-10-31 to 1997-06-30	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	netCDF-4
ADEOS-I OCTS Level-3 Global Mapped Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ADEOS-I	OCTS	1996-10-31 to 1997-06-30	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	netCDF-4
ADEOS-I OCTS Level-3 Global Mapped Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	ADEOS-I	OCTS	1996-10-31 to 1997-06-30	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	netCDF-4
AfriSAR: Aboveground Biomass for Lope, Mabounie, Mondah, and Rabi Sites, Gabon	1	FIELD SURVEYS, Airplane, B-200	STEEL MEASURING TAPE, LIDAR, LVIS	2016-02-01 to 2016-03-31	N: 0.611119 S: -1.94602 E: 11.6436 W: 9.30308	COG
AfriSAR: Canopy Cover and Vertical Profile Metrics Derived from LVIS, Gabon, 2016	1	B-200	LVIS	2016-02-20 to 2016-03-08	N: 0.701451 S: -2.29171 E: 12.0133 W: 8.7276	CSV

VIIRS

Vegetation indices measure the amount of green vegetation over a given area and can be used to assess vegetation health. A commonly-used vegetation index is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which uses the difference between near-infrared (NIR) and red reflectance divided by their sum. NDVI values range from -1 to 1. Low values of NDVI generally correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, exposed soils, or snow, while higher NDVI values indicate greener vegetation, including forests, croplands, and wetlands.

VIIRS Vegetation Indices on Earthdata Search

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Biosphere Data Access and Tools

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