GLAS/ICESat L2 Global Planetary Boundary Layer and Elevated Aerosol Layer Heights

Data Contributors

ZWALLY, H. JAY
SCHUTZ, ROBERT
PALM, STEVE
HART, WILLIAM
HLAVKA, DENNIS
SPINHIRNE, JAMES
WELTON, ELLSWORTH

Parameters

AEROSOL PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER HEIGHT

Instruments

ALTIMETERS
GLAS : GEOSCIENCE LASER ALTIMETER SYSTEM
LIDAR : LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING

The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) instrument on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) provides global measurements of polar ice sheet elevation to discern changes in ice volume (mass balance) over time. Secondary objectives of GLAS are to measure sea ice roughness and thickness, cloud and atmospheric properties, land topography, vegetation canopy heights, ocean surface topography, and surface reflectivity.

GLAS has a 1064 nm laser channel for surface altimetry and dense cloud heights, and a 532 nm lidar channel for the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols.

Level-2 planetary boundary layer (PBL) and elevated aerosol layer heights data (GLA08) contains PBL heights, ground detection heights, and top and bottom heights of elevated aerosols from -1.5 km to 20.5 km (4 sec sampling rate) and from 20.5 km to 41 km (20 sec sampling rate).

Each data granule has an associated browse product that users can quickly view to determine the general quality of the data in the granule. Browse products consist of image plots of key parameters and statistics. Data are in scaled integer binary format, big-endian (Unix) byte order, and are available via FTP, CD-ROM, DVD, DLT, or 8-mm tape.

Data Citation

The following example shows how to cite the use of this data set in a publication. List the principal investigators, year of data set release, data set title and version, dates of data you used, publishers (NSIDC), and digital media.

Zwally, H.J., R. Schutz, S. Palm, W. Hart, S. Hlavka, J. Spinhirne, and E. Welton. 2003, updated current year. GLAS/ICESat L2 Global Planetary Boundary Layer & Elevated Aerosol Layer Heights V018, 15 October to 18 November 2003. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.