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Glaciers/Ice Sheets Data Access and Tools
Glaciers and ice sheets data from NASA range from frequently updated high-resolution instrument imagery to radar altimeter measurements. Our datasets and tools help users find and integrate the data they need to measure the location, size, and other characteristics of glaciers and ice sheets.
Glaciers/Ice Sheets Datasets
| Dataset Sort descending | Version | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KMZ for ALOS PALSAR Radiometric Terrain Corrected Product | 1 | ALOS | PALSAR | 2006-03-23 to 2011-04-22 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| LVIS Classic L2 Geolocated Surface Elevation and Canopy Height Product V001 | 1 | B-200, C-130, G-III, G-V | LVIS | 1998-03-20 to Present |
N: 72 S: -3 E: 17 W: -168 |
ASCII | |
| LVIS Facility L2 Geolocated Surface Elevation and Canopy Height Product V001 | 1 | B-200, G-III, G-V, P-3B | LVIS | 2018-11-07 to Present |
N: 88 S: -35 E: 27 W: -167 |
ASCII | |
| MEaSUREs Annual Greenland Outlet Glacier Terminus Positions from SAR Mosaics V002 | 2 | LANDSAT-1, LANDSAT-2, LANDSAT-3, LANDSAT-4, LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-7, LANDSAT-8, RADARSAT-1, Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B | MSS, TM, ETM+, OLI, SAR, C-SAR | 1972-09-16 to 2021-03-25 |
N: 83 S: 60 E: -14 W: -75 |
15 Meters to 50 Meters x 15 Meters to 50 Meters | Shapefile |
| MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries for IPY 2007-2009 from Satellite Radar V002 | 2 | ALOS, Aqua, COSMO-SKYMED, ENVISAT, ERS-1, ERS-2, LANDSAT-8, RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1A, Terra | PALSAR, MODIS, SAR, ASAR, OLI, C-SAR | 1992-02-07 to 2015-12-31 |
N: -60 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
GeoTIFF, BMP, Shapefile | |
| MEaSUREs Antarctic Grounding Line from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry V002 | 2 | ALOS, COSMO-SKYMED, ERS-1, ERS-2, ICEYE, PAZ, RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1A, TSX | PALSAR, SAR, X-SAR, PAZ-SAR, C-SAR | 1992-02-07 to 2025-11-26 |
N: -60 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
100 Meters | Shapefile, GeoPackage |
| 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 |
| MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Mapping Project (GIMP) 2000 Image Mosaic V001 | 1 | LANDSAT-7, RADARSAT-1 | ETM+, SAR | 1999-06-30 to 2002-09-04 |
N: 82 S: 60 E: -20 W: -70 |
15 Meters x 15 Meters 30 Meters x 30 Meters |
GeoTIFF, ASCII |
| MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Mapping Project (GIMP) Digital Elevation Model V001 | 1 | ICESat, NOAA-14, SPOT-5, Terra | GLAS, AVHRR-2, HRS, ASTER | 2003-02-20 to 2009-10-11 |
N: 83 S: 60 E: -14 W: -75 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters 90 Meters x 90 Meters |
GeoTIFF |
| MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Mapping Project (GrIMP) Digital Elevation Model from GeoEye and WorldView Imagery V002 | 2 | GEOEYE-1, WORLDVIEW-1, WORLDVIEW-2, WORLDVIEW-3 | CAMERAS | 2008-05-15 to 2020-11-19 |
N: 83 S: 60 E: -14 W: -75 |
30 Meters x 30 Meters | GeoTIFF |
| MEaSUREs Greenland Monthly Image Mosaics from MODIS V001 | 1 | Aqua, Terra | MODIS | 2008-03-01 to 2016-09-30 |
N: 85 S: 57 E: 11 W: -109 |
100 Meters x 100 Meters 500 Meters x 500 Meters |
GeoTIFF |
| MEaSUREs Grounding Zone of the Antarctic Ice Sheet V001 | 1 | COSMO-SKYMED, ERS-1, ERS-2, RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B | SAR, C-SAR | 2018-01-01 to 2020-12-31 |
N: -60 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
100 Meters x 100 Meters | Shapefile, GeoPackage |
| MEaSUREs ITS_LIVE Antarctic Grounded Ice Sheet Elevation Change V001 | 1 | CRYOSAT-2, ENVISAT, ERS-1, ERS-2, GEOSAT, ICESat, ICESat-2 | SIRAL, RA-2, RA, RADAR ALTIMETERS, GLAS, ATLAS | 1985-04-17 to 2020-12-16 |
N: -60 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1920 Meters x 1920 Meters | netCDF-4 |
| MEaSUREs ITS_LIVE Antarctic Quarterly 1920 m Ice Shelf Height Change and Basal Melt Rates, 1992-2017 V001 | 1 | CRYOSAT-2, ENVISAT, ERS-1, ERS-2 | SIRAL, RA-2, RA | 1992-03-17 to 2017-12-16 |
N: -54 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1920 Meters x 1920 Meters | netCDF-4 |
| MEaSUREs MODIS Mosaic of Greenland (MOG) 2005, 2010, and 2015 Image Maps V002 | 2 | Aqua, Terra | MODIS | 2005-03-12 to 2005-04-30 |
N: 85 S: 57 E: 11 W: -109 |
100 Meters x 100 Meters 500 Meters x 500 Meters |
GeoTIFF, Shapefile |
| MEaSUREs Weekly to Monthly Greenland Outlet Glacier Terminus Positions from Sentinel-1 Mosaics V001 | 1 | Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B | C-SAR | 2015-01-01 to 2021-12-31 |
N: 84 S: 59 E: -15 W: -73 |
15 Meters to 50 Meters x 15 Meters to 50 Meters | Shapefile |
| MERRA-2 tavg3_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,3-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T3NXGLC) 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_glc_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXGLC) 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_glc_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXGLC) 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 | |
| MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF Model Parameters Daily L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V061 | 061 | Terra, Aqua | MODIS | 2000-02-24 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1000 Meters x 1000 Meters | HDF-EOS2 |
| MODIS/Terra+Aqua Land Surface BRF Daily L2G Global 500m, 1km and 10km SIN Grid V006 | 006 | Terra, Aqua | MODIS | 2000-02-26 to 2023-02-17 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
500 Meters x 500 Meters | HDF-EOS2 |
| NISAR Beta Geocoded Pixel Offsets (Version 1) | 1 | NISAR | L-SAR, S-SAR | 2025-10-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF5, XML, YAML, PNG, KML, CSV, PDF | |
| NISAR Beta Geocoded Polarimetric Covariance Product (Version 1) | 1 | NISAR | L-SAR, S-SAR | 2025-10-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF5, PNG, XML, PDF, CSV, KML, YAML | |
| NISAR Beta Geocoded Single Look Complex Product (Version 1) | 1 | NISAR | L-SAR, S-SAR | 2025-10-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF5, PNG, XML, PDF, CSV, KML, YAML | |
| NISAR Beta Geocoded Unwrapped Interferogram Product (Version 1) | 1 | NISAR | L-SAR, S-SAR | 2025-10-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
HDF5, PNG, XML, PDF, CSV, KML, YAML |
Featured Observation Glaciers/Ice Sheets Method: ASTER
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a high spatial resolution instrument aboard the Terra satellite. ASTER captures images of Earth in 14 different wavelengths from visible to thermal infrared light as well as provides a Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) of the planet's land surface with 30-meter resolution. ASTER data can be used to create detailed visualizations and maps of land surface temperature, emissivity, reflectance, and elevation including images of glaciers.
The final processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data will make its archive more accessible to users.
8 MIN READ
The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) initiative uses satellite data to track glacier changes, providing vital data for climate and hazard studies.
See ASTER instrument images revealing the transformation of South Korea's Mount Gariwang for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Version 3 of the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) provides new features and sharper imagery.
Frequently Asked Questions
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