GLAS/ICESat 500 m Laser Altimetry Digital Elevation Model of Antarctica, Version 1
The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) instrument on the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) provides global measurements of elevation, and repeats measurements along nearly-identical tracks; its primary mission is to measure changes in ice volume (mass balance) over time. This digital elevation model (DEM) of Antarctica is derived from GLAS/ICESat laser altimetry profile data and provides new surface elevation grids of the ice sheets and coastal areas, with greater latitudinal extent and fewer slope-related effects than radar altimetry.
This DEM is generated from the first seven operational periods (from February 2003 through June 2005) of the GLAS instrument. It is provided on polar stereographic grids at 500 m grid spacing. The grid covers all of Antarctica north of 86° S. Elevations are reported as centimeters above the datums, relative to both the WGS 84 ellipsoid and the EGM96 geoid, in two separate elevation data files. A data quality map of the interpolation distance is distributed in addition to the elevation data. ENVI header files are also provided.
The data are in 4-byte (long) signed integer binary files (big endian byte order) and are available via FTP.
This is the most recent version of these data.
STANDARD Level of Service
Data: Data integrity and usability verified
Documentation: Key metadata and user guide available
User Support: Assistance with data access and usage; guidance on use of data in tools
|
Geographic Coverage |
- If you are not currently logged in to Earthdata, you will be prompted to do so.
- You may register for an Earthdata Login if you do not have an account.
Once you have logged in, you will be able to click and download files via a Web browser. There are also options for downloading via a command line or client. For more detailed instructions, please see Options Available for Bulk Downloading Data from HTTPS with Earthdata Login.
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.
John P. DiMarzio 2007. GLAS/ICESat 500 m Laser Altimetry Digital Elevation Model of Antarctica, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/K2IMI0L24BRJ. [Date Accessed].