Antarctic 5-km Digital Elevation Model from ERS-1 Altimetry  View Catalog Page Entry ID
NSIDC-0076
Summary
This data set provides a digital elevation model (DEM) for Antarctica to 81.5 degrees south latitude, at a resolution of 5 km. Approximately twenty million data points were used to generate this data set. Data points were derived from ERS-1 radar altimetry during the geodetic phase from March 1994 to May 1995. The improved density in coverage and resolution, compared with past satellite altimetry missions, provides better detection of topographic detail such as surface undulations, ice streams, grounding zones, and interstream ridges. DEM data are in a polar stereographic projection with the origin at the south pole, and are referenced to the OSU91A geoid.
The ERS-1 satellite radar altimeter measurements are highly useful for determining precise ice sheet elevations in Antarctica. The orthometric heights derived from the ERS-1 data contribute to a more accurate and complete mapping of the Antarctic Ice Sheets than previously possible, and therefore to ongoing studies of ice mass balance studies in Antarctica.
The DEM is provided as a single ASCII text file, accessible by ftp. Data access is unrestricted, but we recommend that users register with us. Registered users automatically receive e-mail notification of product updates and changes to processing.
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coordinates:
N: -65°
S: -81°
E: 180°
W: -180°
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Data Set Citation
Dataset Creator: Jonathan Bamber
Dataset Title: Antarctic 5-km Digital Elevation Model from ERS-1 Altimetry
Dataset Release Date: 2000-01-01
Dataset Release Place: Boulder, CO U.S.A.
Dataset Publisher: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0076.html
Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 1994-03-01
Stop Date: 1995-05-31
Data Resolution
Temporal Resolution: Daily
Location Keywords
- Continent Antarctica
Science Keywords
- Cryosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation
- Cryosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Glacier Topography/Ice Sheet Topography
- Cryosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Ice Sheets
- Land Surface Topography Surface Roughness
- Land Surface Topography Topographical Relief
- Terrestrial Hydrosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation
- Terrestrial Hydrosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Glacier Topography/Ice Sheet Topography
- Terrestrial Hydrosphere Glaciers/Ice Sheets Ice Sheets
Ancillary Keywords
- Altimetry
- Antarctic
- Antarctica
- DAAC
- Dem
- Digital Elevation Model
- EOSDIS
- Ice Sheet Elevation
- ice sheets
- NASA
- NSIDC
- Surface Elevation
- Topography
Platform
- ERS-1 European Remote Sensing Satellite-1
- SATELLITES
Instrument
- RA ERS Radar Altimeter
- RADAR ALTIMETERS
Project
- EOSDIS Earth Observing System Data Information System
- ESIP Earth Science Information Partners Program
Quality
Various methods were applied to improve the accuracy of elevation estimates over the Antarctic ice sheet, including waveform tracking, slope correction, data filtering (tests for return-echo waveform shape, backscatter coefficient, and retracking correction values for each altimeter height estimate), and removal of anomalous orbits.
Data Set Progress
COMPLETE
Data Center
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Data Set ID: NSIDC-0076
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/daac/index.html
Data Set ID: NSIDC-0076
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC DAAC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Distribution
Distribution Media: FTP
Distribution Size: 39.6 MB uncompressed
Distribution Format: ASCII
Personnel
JONATHAN BAMBER
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Email: j.l.bamber@bristol.ac.uk
Contact Address:
Bristol Glaciology Centre
School of Geographical Sciences
University Road
Bristol, BS8 1SS
UNITED KINGDOM
R. L.L. Layberry
Role: INVESTIGATOR
S. P. Gogenini
Role: INVESTIGATOR
NSIDC USER SERVICES
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Related URL
GET DATA
FTP site for obtaining these data.
GET SERVICE > ACCESS MAP VIEWER
View these and other data in NSIDC's Antarctic Cryosphere Access Portal (A-CAP) online map viewer.
GET SERVICE > GET WEB COVERAGE SERVICE (WCS)
Access these data in GeoTIFF format using the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Coverage Service (WCS).
GET SERVICE > GET WEB FEATURE SERVICE (WFS)
Access these contours of these data in Geography Markup Language (GML) using the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Feature Service (WFS).
GET SERVICE > GET WEB MAP SERVICE (WMS)
Access these data as map images using the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS).
VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE
The Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP)
VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Polar Ice Sheet DEMs and Topographic Data at NSIDC
Reference
Bamber, J.L. and R.A. Bindschadler. 1997. An improved elevation dataset for climate and ice-sheet modelling: validation with satellite imagery. Annals of Glaciology 25:438-444.
Bamber, J.L. and P. Huybrechts. 1996. Geometric boundary conditions for modelling the velocity field of the Antarctic ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology 23:364-373.
Bamber, J. and C. Bentley. 1994. A comparison of satellite-altimetry and ice-thickness measurements of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology 20:357-364.
Bamber, J. 1994. A digital elevation model of the Antarctic ice sheet derived from ERS-1 altimeter data and comparison with terrestrial measurements. Annals of Glaciology 20:48-54. Bamber, J. 1994. Ice sheet altimeter processing scheme. International Journal of Remote Sensing 15:925-938.
Metadata Name and Version
Metadata Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata Version: 9.7
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2000-05-10
Last DIF Revision Date: 2009-06-25
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