We are in the process of migrating all NASA Earth science data sites into Earthdata from now until end of 2026. Not all NASA Earth science data and resources will appear here until then. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition. Read about the Web Unification Project

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

View All Datasets

Filters

Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
Tellus Level-4 Greenland Mass Anomaly Time Series from JPL GRACE/GRACE-FO Mascon CRI Filtered Release 06.3 version 04	RL06.3Mv04	GRACE, GRACE-FO	GRACE INTERFEROMETER, GRACE-FO MWI	2002-04-01	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees	ASCII
VIIRS/NPP+JPSS Combined Vegetation Index and Snow Products from MAIAC Daily L3 Global at 0.05Deg CMG V002	002	Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	5600 Meters x 5600 Meters	HDF-EOS5
VIIRS/NPP+JPSS1 BRDF Model Parameters Daily L3 Global 750m RSIN Grid V002	002	Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20	VIIRS	2012-01-19 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	750 Meters x 750 Meters	HDF-EOS5

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.

A segment of an image of ASTER registered radiance data over Guatemala on January 8, 2018

NASA Begins Final ASTER Data Processing Campaign

The final processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data will make its archive more accessible to users.

8 MIN READ

ASTER satellite image of glaciers in the Bhutan-Himalaya

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space: Observing Glaciers Using ASTER

The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) initiative uses satellite data to track glacier changes, providing vital data for climate and hazard studies.

ASTER satellite image of Korean mountains

ASTER: The Ultimate 2018 Winter Olympics Observer

See ASTER instrument images revealing the transformation of South Korea's Mount Gariwang for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Map of ASTER GDEM Version 3 shaded relief topography of San Francisco CA

New Version of the ASTER GDEM

Version 3 of the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) provides new features and sharper imagery.

Glaciers/Ice Sheets Data Tools

View All Data Tools

Items

Tool Sort descending	Description	Services
GLIMS Glacier Database	Visualize and download data from the GLIMS Glacier Database using the map-based GLIMS Glacier Viewer or search and download data using custom parameters in the GLIMS Text Search Interface.	Downloading, Search and Discovery, Visualization
RTC Stack Processor	The radiometric terrain correction (RTC) stack processor tool facilitates time-series analysis of such phenomena as flooding events, deforestation, or glacier retreat.	Analysis, Processing, Search and Discovery, Visualization
Vertex	Vertex is a graphical search interface for finding synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data.	Search and Discovery, Access, Downloading, Processing, Subsetting

SHOWING 3 OF 3

Items

Frequently Asked Questions

Earthdata Forum

Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.

Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses