Terrestrial Hydrosphere Data Access and Tools

NASA data examine many characteristics of the liquid and frozen water and the dynamic processes they are part of across Earth’s landscape. 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 PALSAR High Resolution Radiometric Terrain Corrected Product	Global	2006-03-23 to 2011-04-22		Detailed wetland classification and monitoring	glaciers/ ice sheets, surface water
GLDAS Noah Land Surface Model L4 3 hourly 0.25 x 0.25 degree V2.1	Global Land	2000-01-01 to Present	NetCDF	Hydrological cycle research and water resource management Flood forecasting and monitoring	ground water, surface water
GPM IMERG Final Precipitation L3 Half Hourly 0.1 degree x 0.1 degree V07	Global	1998-01-01 to Present	HDF5	High-resolution precipitation monitoring globally Extreme rainfall event detection and analysis Hydrological modeling and flood forecasting	surface water
MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXFLX)	Global	1980-01-01 to Present	NetCDF	Surface energy balance studies and monitoring Evaporation and precipitation pattern analysis Hydrological cycle component analysis	snow/ ice
NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 1 arc second V003	Global Land	2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21	HGT	Hydrological modeling and watershed delineation Flood risk assessment	surface water
OPERA Surface Displacement from Sentinel-1 validated product (Version 1)	Global	2016-07-01 to Present	NetCDF-4 XML PNG Zarr	Ground subsidence monitoring in urban areas and infrastructure Aquifer depletion impact assessment	glaciers/ ice sheets, ground water
SENTINEL-1A_SLC	Global	2014-04-03 to Present		Interferometric analysis for surface deformation detection Coherence-based change detection Polarimetric analysis for target characterization Development of advanced SAR processing algorithms Time-series analysis for subtle change detection	glaciers/ ice sheets, snow/ ice, surface water
SENTINEL-1B_SLC	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		High-resolution deformation mapping with interferometry Coherence analysis for subtle change detection Polarimetric target characterization Glacier velocity measurement and ice monitoring Time-series analysis for seasonal change patterns	glaciers/ ice sheets, snow/ ice, surface water
Sentinel-1C Dual Polarization High Resolution Ground Range Detected Product	Global	2025-01-01 to Present	SAFE	Wetland extent mapping and flood monitoring	glaciers/ ice sheets, surface water

Terrestrial Hydrosphere Datasets

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
Aqua MODIS Level-4 Global Binned Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
Aqua MODIS Level-4 Global Binned Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Model (GSM) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
Aqua MODIS Level-4 Global Mapped Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
Aqua MODIS Level-4 Global Mapped Garver-Siegel-Maritorena Model (GSM) Data, version 2022.0	2022.0	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180		netCDF-4
Arctic Alaska Vegetation, Geobotanical, Physiographic Maps, 1993-2005	1	FIELD SURVEYS, LANDSAT-5	VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, AVHRR	1993-06-01 to 2005-03-30	N: 71.3703 S: 57.0847 E: -138.542 W: -173.052		multiple
Arctic Vegetation Plots in Northern NWT and YT, Canada, 1965-1966	1	FIELD SURVEYS, FIELD INVESTIGATION	VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, SOIL DEPTH PROBE	1965-06-09 to 1966-08-13	N: 68.8244 S: 68.2203 E: -135.697 W: -138.748		CSV
Arctic Vegetation Plots, Prudhoe Bay ArcSEES Road Study, Lake Colleen, Alaska, 2014	1	FIELD SURVEYS, LABORATORY	CORING DEVICES, PROBES, GPS, THERMOMETERS, BALANCE	2014-08-06 to 2014-08-13	N: 70.2248 S: 70.2214 E: -148.467 W: -148.474		CSV
ASTER Global Water Bodies Database V001	001	Terra	ASTER	2000-03-01 to 2013-11-30	N: 82 S: -83 E: 180 W: -180	30 Meters x 30 Meters	GeoTIFF
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Along Track Inland Surface Water Data Quick Look V007	007	ICESat-2	ATLAS	2026-01-18 to Present	N: 88 S: -88 E: 180 W: -180		HDF5
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Along Track Inland Surface Water Data V007	007	ICESat-2	ATLAS	2018-10-13 to Present	N: 88 S: -88 E: 180 W: -180		HDF5
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Mean Inland Surface Water Data V003	003	ICESat-2	ATLAS	2018-10-14 to 2025-03-02	N: 88 S: -88 E: 180 W: -180		HDF5
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Mean Inland Surface Water Data V004	004	ICESat-2	ATLAS	2018-10-14 to Present	N: 88 S: -88 E: 180 W: -180		HDF5
Baseline Wetland Type and Land Cover Map of the Great Lakes Basin, 2010	1	LANDSAT-5, COMPUTERS, ALOS	TM, Computer, PALSAR	2007-04-01 to 2011-04-15	N: 52.5534 S: 38.712 E: -71.5681 W: -97.2815		multiple
BioSCape: PRISM L2A Orthocorrected Surface Reflectance	1	G-III	PRISM	2023-10-17 to 2023-11-26	N: -31.2636 S: -34.9153 E: 26.1289 W: 17.8272		multiple
BlueFlux: Dissolved Carbon and Greenhouse Gases	1	FIELD SURVEYS, Analytical Lab	SURVEYING TOOLS, PH METERS, WATER BOTTLES, SFM, CARBON ANALYZERS	2022-10-15 to 2023-03-14	N: 25.44 S: 25.2084 E: -80.93 W: -81.9146		CSV
BOREAS AFM-08 ECMWF Hourly Surface and Upper Air Data for the SSA and NSA	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1994-05-13 to 1997-03-31	N: 62 S: 48 E: -92 W: -114		ASCII
BOREAS Follow-On HMet-04 1996-1998 NSA Meteorological Data	1	METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS	BAROMETERS, NET RADIOMETERS, PYRANOMETERS, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, RAIN GAUGES, TEMPERATURE PROBES, ULTRASONIC DEPTH GAUGE, WIND MONITOR, TEMPERATURE SENSORS, HUMIDITY SENSORS, INFRARED THERMOMETERS	1994-01-01 to 1999-01-01	N: 60 S: 48 E: -90 W: -111		CSV
BOREAS HYD-02 Estimated Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) from Microwave Measurements	1	DHC-6	INFRARED RADIOMETERS, MR, PYRANOMETERS, TEMPERATURE SENSORS, WIND MONITOR, HYGROMETERS	1994-02-06 to 1994-02-13	N: 56.25 S: 53.42 E: -97.24 W: -106.3		CSV
BOREAS HYD-03 Snow Depth Data: 1996	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	SNOW MEASURING ROD	1996-02-29 to 1996-03-11	N: 53.99 S: 53.63 E: -104.69 W: -106.2		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-03 Snow Pit Measurements: 1996	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	SNOW MEASURING ROD	1996-02-29 to 1996-03-12	N: 53.99 S: 53.58 E: -104.69 W: -106.2		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-03 Snow Temperature Profiles	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	THERMOMETERS	1994-02-05 to 1994-04-27	N: 55.93 S: 53.56 E: -97.82 W: -105.27		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-03 Snow Water Equivalent: 1996	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	SNOW TUBE, SNOW DENSITY CUTTER, SNOW MEASURING ROD	1996-02-29 to 1996-03-05	N: 55.93 S: 53.58 E: -97.82 W: -106.19		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-03 Snow Water Equivalent Data	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	SNOW DENSITY CUTTER, SNOW TUBE, SNOW MEASURING ROD	1994-02-05 to 1994-04-27	N: 55.93 S: 53.56 E: -97.82 W: -106.2		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-04 Areal Snow Course Survey Data	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, SNOW TUBE, BALANCE	1994-02-03 to 1994-03-10	N: 56.25 S: 53.42 E: -97.24 W: -106.32		ASCII
BOREAS HYD-04 Standard Snow Course Data	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	SNOW TUBE, BALANCE	1993-11-15 to 1996-05-17	N: 55.91 S: 53.75 E: -98.42 W: -106.08		ASCII

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Terrestrial Hydrosphere Data Access and Tools

Commonly Used Datasets for Terrestrial Hydrosphere Applications

Terrestrial Hydrosphere Datasets

Terrestrial Hydrosphere Data Tools

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