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Data Set ID: 
NSIDC-0709

MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries for IPY 2007-2009 from Satellite Radar, Version 2

This data set, part of the NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) program, provides maps of Antarctic ice shelves, Antarctic basins, and the Antarctic coastline. The maps are assembled from 2008-2009 ice-front data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) ALOS PALSAR and European Space Agency's ENVISAT ASAR data, acquired during International Polar Years 2007-2009 (IPY); the InSAR-based grounding line data (MEaSUREs Antarctic Grounding Line from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry), augmented with other grounding line sources; the Antarctic ice velocity map (MEaSUREs InSAR-Based Antarctica Ice Velocity Map); and the Bedmap-2 DEM.

See Antarctic Ice Sheet Velocity and Mapping Data for related data.

This is the most recent version of these data.

Version Summary: 

Major changes for Version 2 include:

  • Added the basins IMBIE 2016 and refined
  • Updated and expanded the attribute lists

Minor changes include:

  • Changed grounding lines for Crosson/Dotson ice shelves based on Sentinel-1A
  • Added 15 new small ice shelves
  • Added missing ice rises on Larsen-C, Riiser-Larsen, Quar, Atka, Fimbul, Crosson, Borchgrevink, Beaudouin, and Pine Island ice shelves
  • Fixed an issue with Wordie ice shelf boundaries (Cape Jeremy basin)
  • Fixed an issue with Larsen A ice shelf, Drygalski glacier
  • Fixed small gaps between polygons
  • Updated names of the ice shelves (each polygon has a specific name)
  • Removed grounded polygon from IceBoundaries (provided by GroundingLine_Antarctica shapefile)

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

See All Level of Service Details

Parameter(s):
  • GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS > BASINS
  • GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS > COASTLINE
  • GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS > GLACIERS > GROUNDING LINE
  • GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS > ICE SHELVES
Data Format(s):
  • ESRI Shapefile
  • GeoTIFF
  • Bitmap (.bmp)
Spatial Coverage:
N: -60, 
S: -90, 
E: 180, 
W: -180
Platform(s):ALOS, AQUA, COSMO-SKYMED, ENVISAT, ERS-1, ERS-2, LANDSAT-8, RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, SENTINEL-1A, TERRA
Spatial Resolution:
  • 25 m to 250 m
Sensor(s):ASAR, C-SAR, MODIS, OLI, PALSAR, SAR
Temporal Coverage:
  • 7 February 1992 to 31 December 2015
Version(s):V2
Temporal Resolution24 yearMetadata XML:View Metadata Record
Data Contributor(s):Jeremie Mouginot, Bernd Scheuchl, Eric Rignot

Geographic Coverage
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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.

Mouginot, J., B. Scheuchl, and E. Rignot. 2017. MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries for IPY 2007-2009 from Satellite Radar, Version 2. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/AXE4121732AD. [Date Accessed].

Literature Citation

As a condition of using these data, we request that you acknowledge the author(s) of this data set by referencing the following peer-reviewed publication.

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Detailed Data Description

The Antarctic maps in this data set include:

  • Antarctic ice shelves
  • Antarctic coastline
  • Antarctic basin map as defined for the Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) 2016
  • Refined Antarctic basin map that is consistent with the IMBIE 2016 basin map but provides more detailed basins
Format

This data set consists of four ESRI shapefiles and a raster mask provided in GeoTIFF (.tif) and bitmap (.bmp) formats.

The ESRI shapefiles consist of five file types:

  • .shp – main file that stores the feature geometry
  • .shx – index file that stores the index of the feature geometry
  • .dbf – dBASE table that stores the attribute information of features
  • .prj – file that stores the coordinate system information

The raster image is a 500 m resolution mask of Antarctica created from the boundaries: grounding line, coastline, and ice shelves described in the shapefiles.

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File and Directory Structure

Data are available via HTTPS: https://n5eil01u.ecs.nsidc.org/MEASURES/NSIDC-0709.002/

This directory contains the following folders:

Folder Name Description
Table 1. Top-Level HTTPS Directory Structure
IceBoundaries_Antarctica merged shapefile product that represents the coastline, floating glacial ice (ice shelves and ice tongues), grounded ice, IMBIE 2016 basins, as well as refined basins
IceShelf_Antarctica floating glacial ice (ice shelves and ice tongues) boundaries shapefile
Coastline_Antarctica coastline shapefile (all features in IceBoundaries_Antarctica merged together)
GroundingLine_Antarctica grounded ice (grounding line) shapefile (all grounded features merged together)
Basins_IMBIE_Antarctica Basins as prepared for the Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) 2016
Basins_Antarctica Refined basins from IMBIE
Mask_Antarctica GeoTIFF and bitmap files containing the ice shelf mask
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File Naming Convention

This section describes the file naming convention for this data set (Table 2).

Example:
IceShelf_Antarctica_v02.shp
IceShelf_Antarctica_v02.dbf
IceShelf_Antarctica_v02.prj
IceShelf_Antarctica_v02.shx

Naming Convention: XXXXXXXXXX_Antarctica_v02.ext

Variables Description
Table 2. Naming Convention
XXXXXXXXXX Type of data:
CoastLine
GroundingLine
IceBoundries
IceShelf
Mask
Antarctica Geographic location
v02 Version 2
.ext File type:
.dbf
.prj
.shp
.shx
.tif
.bmp
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File Size

The shapefiles in this data set range from approximately 0.1 KB to 2,081 KB. The GeoTIFF (.tif) raster mask is 2.1 MB, and the bitmap (.bmp) raster mask is 119.7 MB.

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Volume

Total volume of the data set is approximately 138 MB.

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Spatial Coverage

The data provide an outline for 1,553,978 km2 of Antarctic Ice Shelves (floating glacier ice) or 99.52 percent of the total ice shelf area for Antarctica (Rignot et al. 2013).

Southernmost Latitude: 90° S
Northernmost Latitude: 60° S
Westernmost Longitude: 180° W
Easternmost Longitude: 180° E

Spatial Coverage Maps

Figure 1 provides an overview of the information contained in this product and available in full in the file IceBoundaries_Antarctica_v02.shp. Partial information is available in separate shapefiles (Figure 2 a-e) and a raster mask (Figure 2f). See Table 4 for a more detailed description.

Figure 1. Antarctic Boundaries v02.shp overview. The shapefile includes the coastline, the grounding line, an ice shelf mask (striped), as well as IMBIE and refined basins. Also provided is a regional separation in East Antarctica (red lines), West Antarctica (green lines), and the Antarctic Peninsula (dark blue lines).
Figure 2. Shapefile Spatial Coverage Maps (a-e) and GeoTIFF raster map (f). Each file is available separately, the full information content is provided in the file IceBoundaries_Antarctica_v02.shp

Spatial Resolution

Spatial resolution varies for each sensor. See Table 3 for the associated approximate resolutions.

Satellite/Sensor Approximate Resolution
Table 3. Spatial Accuracy of Boundaries by Satellite/Sensor
ERS-1, ERS-2/SAR 50 m
RADARSAT-1/SAR 35 m
RADARSAT-2/SAR 46 m
ALOS/PALSAR 120 m
COSMO-SkyMed/SAR 25 m
Sentinel-1A/C-SAR 50 m
ENVISAT/ASAR 30 m
LANDSAT-8/OLI 30 m
TERRA/MODIS 250 m
AQUA/MODIS 250 m

Projection and Grid Description

The shapefiles and GeoTIFF file are provided in Polar Stereographic projection ESPG:3031.

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Temporal Coverage

Data for InSAR grounding lines were obtained from multiple satellites between 1992 and 2015, for which the newest grounding line position was used. The data for the coastline mapping were acquired in 2008 and 2009

Temporal Resolution

22 years (264 months)

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Parameter or Variable

The data set is an integrated product that provides detailed mappings of the location of the Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line, ice shelf pinning points (e.g. nunataks, ice rises, and ice rumples and denoted by the attribute "Islands" in the Ice Boundaries shapefile), the coastline and two versions of basins. This product can be used as a mask to define grounded ice, floating ice and/or the Antarctic coastline. 

The basins provide further information at two levels of detail. Basins_IMBIE_Antarctica_v02 are the basins used for the Ice sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) 2016 (Rignot Basins); whereas, Basins_Antarctica_v02 provides a further refined set of basins that is consistent with Basins_IMBIE_Antarctica_v02. Antarctica is separated into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), and the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) based on historical definitions plus information from modern-day DEM and ice velocity data. AP is limited by the Ronne Ice Shelf to the east and the George VI Ice Shelf to the west. WAIS and EAIS are divided along the Transantarctic range; WAIS drains into the Ronne Ice Shelf, EAIS drains into the Filchner Ice Shelf. Within these three ice sheet regions, subregions A, B, C, Cp, etc. are defined based on historical nomenclature (Giovinetto and Zwally, 2000) plus modern DEM and ice velocity data, and adjusted to match the drainage boundaries of the major ice shelves.

The primary attributes for each shapefile are listed below in Table 4.

The file IceBoundaries_Antarctica contains all information in a single file (i.e. all layers merged). Separate files are provided for those interested in a subset of the information.

    File Name Data Field Description
    Table 4. Primary Data Attributes for Shapefiles
    Coastline_Antarctica_v02 Name Coastline
    GroundingLine_Antarctica_v02 Name Grounded
    Type Grounded ice (GR), floating ice (FL), and islands (IS)
    IceShelf_Antarctica_v02 Name Names for Antarctic floating glacial ice (ice shelves and ice tongues)
    Regions Regions refers to the separation in East Antarctica (East), West Antarctica (West) and the Antarctic Peninsula (Peninsula).
    Type Type refers to grounded ice (GR), floating ice (FL), and islands (IS).
    Basins_IMBIE_Antarctica_v02 Name

    Name of the basin (based on historical nomenclature, see subregion) as used by IMBIE 2016 (Rignot Basins)
    Regions Regions refers to the separation in East Antarctica (East), West Antarctica (West) and the Antarctic Peninsula (Peninsula). In addition, the region, Islands, is provided.
    Subregions Subregions are defined based on historical nomenclature (Giovinetto and Zwally, 2000) plus modern DEM and ice velocity data, and adjusted to match the drainage boundaries. Note: Xp (X prime)=X’ ; Xpp(X double prime)=X’’ *
    Type Type refers to grounded ice (GR), floating ice (FL), and islands (IS)
    Basins_Antarctica_v02 Name Name of the basin (based on the glacier, ice stream, ice shelf, or coast)
    Regions Regions refers to the separation in East Antarctica (East), West Antarctica (West) and the Antarctic Peninsula (Peninsula).
    Subregions Subregions are defined based on historical nomenclature (Giovinetto and Zwally, 2000) plus modern DEM and ice velocity data, and adjusted to match the drainage boundaries. Note:  no special characters are possible: *Xp=X’ ; Xpp=X’’
    Type Type refers to grounded ice (GR), floating ice (FL), and islands (IS)
    Asso_Shelf Name of ice shelf associated with the basin (see also IceShelf_Antarctica_v02). Note: there can be multiple ice shelves associated with a single basin.
    IceBoundaries_Antarctica_v02 Name Names for Antarctic floating glacial ice (ice shelves and ice tongues), single label for all grounded ice, single label for all islands
    Regions Regions refers to the separation in East Antarctica (East), West Antarctica (West) and the Antarctic Peninsula (Peninsula). In addition, the region, Islands, is provided.
    Subregions Subregions are defined based on historical nomenclature (Giovinetto and Zwally, 2000) plus modern DEM and ice velocity data, and adjusted to match the drainage boundaries. Note:  no special characters are possible: *Xp=X’ ; Xpp=X’’
    Type Type refers to grounded ice (GR), floating ice (FL), and islands (IS)
    Asso_Shelf Name of ice shelf associated with the basin (see also IceShelf_Antarctica_v02). Note: there can be multiple ice shelves associated with a single basin, which are separated by the character “/”.

    *Some GIS applications do not allow for special characters.

    The coding for the GeoTIFF raster is:

    • 0 for the ocean
    • 125 for the floating glacial ice (ice shelves and ice tongues)
    • 255 for the grounded ice

    To view a sample of the data, refer to the Spatial Coverage section, Figure 2f.

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    Software and Tools

    Shapefiles can be readily accessed using GIS software such as ArcGIS and QGIS.

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    Data Acquisition and Processing

    Theory of Measurements

    The ice front can be determined from SAR satellite imagery. The grounding line refers to the location where an ice sheet detaches from the bedrock and starts floating in the ocean. This data set includes ice front and grounding line information for the entire Antarctic coastline, derived from a variety of satellite radar interferometry data. Mapping of the different boundaries was realized with QGIS v2.12.

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    Data Acquisition Methods

    Grounding lines for the Antarctic Ice Sheet were derived using differential satellite synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR) data from the Earth Remote Sensing Satellites 1 and 2 (ERS-1 and -2), RADARSAT and RADARSAT-2, the Advanced Land Observing System (ALOS) PALSAR for years 1992 to 2009, and Copernicus Sentinel-1A for years 2014 to 2015. Ice front information was extracted from ALOS PALSAR data acquired during IPY in 2008 and 2009 and completed with MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) 2009 (https://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0593). A detailed description of the product and the methodology is provided in Rignot et al. 2011.

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    Data Sources
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    Quality Assessment

    See Rignot et al. 2013 for a detailed description of the product and its quality. Details about grounding line position are provided in MEaSUREs Antarctic Grounding Line from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry user guide. Based on geocoded SAR amplitude images from ALOS/PALSAR and ENVISAT/SAR geocoded at spacing of 150 m, it is estimated that the coastline is mapped with a precision of about 300 m.

    In some places, coastline and grounding line are evolving rapidly, and as a result, this data set may not represent the current state. In addition, a few pinning points may be still missing.

    Based on QGIS software, the shapefiles should be free of geometry errors; i.e. shapes should not overlap or intersect.

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    Sensor or Instrument Description

    For information about the SAR systems used to construct the mosaics from which this data set is derived, see SAR Datasets / RADARSAT-1 | Alaska Satellite Facility, ERS - Earth Online - ESA , About ALOS - PALSAR, and ESA Copernicus Sentinel-1 site. For more information about the MODIS sensor onboard the TERRA and AQUA satellites, see NASA's website MODIS Web. See Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and TIRS (Thermal Infrared Sensor) for more information on the OLI sensor onboard the Landsat 8 satellite.

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    References and Related Publications

    Giovinetto, M.B., and H.J. Zwally, 2000. Spatial distribution of net surface accumulation on the Antarctic ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology 31: 171-178.

    Khazendar, A., et al. 2016. Rapid submarine ice melting in the grounding zones of ice shelves in West Antarctica. Nature Communications 7: Art. #13243. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13243.

    Li, X., E. Rignot, J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl. 2016. Ice flow dynamics and mass loss of Totten Glacier, East Antarctica from 1989 to 2015. Geophysical Research Letters 43(12): 6366-6373. doi: 10.1002/2016GL069173.

    Li, X., E. Rignot, M. Morlighem, J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl. 2015. Grounding line retreat of Totten Glacier, East Antarctica, 1996 to 2013. Geophysical Research Letters 42: 8049–8056. doi: 10.1002/2015GL065701.

    Mouginot, J., E. Rignot, and B. Scheuchl. 2012., Mosaicking of ice motion in Antarctica. Remote Sensing 4: 2753-2767. doi: 10.3390/rs4092753.

    Rignot, E., J. Mouginot, M. Morlighem, H. Seroussi, and B. Scheuchl. 2014. Widespread, rapid grounding line retreat of Pine Island, Thwaites, Smith, and Kohler glaciers, West Antarctica, from 1992 to 2011. Geophysical Research Letters 41: 3502–3509. doi: 10.1002/2014GL060140.

    Rignot, E., S. Jacobs, J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl. 2013. Ice-shelf melting around Antarctica. Science 341(6143): 266-270. doi: 10.1126/science.1235798.

    Rignot, E., J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl. 2011. Ice Flow of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Science 333(6048): 1427-1430. doi: 10.1126/science.1208336.

       — 2011a. Antarctic Grounding Line Mapping from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry. Geophysical Research Letters 38(10): Art. #L10504. doi: 10.1029/2011GL047109.

    Rignot, E., et al. 2011. Acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea level rise. Geophysical Research Letters 38(5): Art. #L05503. doi: 10.1029/2011GL046583

    Rignot, E. 2002. East Antarctic Glaciers and Ice Shelves Mass Balance from Satellite Data. Annals of Glaciology 34: 217-227.

    Rignot, E., L. Padman, D. R. MacAyeal, and M. Schmeltz. 2000. Observations of ocean tides below the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves, Antarctica, using synthetic aperture radar interferometry: Comparison with tide model predictions. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans 105(C8): 19,615-19,6130.

    Rignot, E. 1998. Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry. Journal of Glaciology 44(148): 469-476.

       — 1998a. Radar Interferometry Detection of Hinge-Line Migration on Rutford Ice Stream and Carlson Inlet, Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology 27: 25-32.

    Rignot, E. 1996. Tidal flexure, ice velocities and ablation rates of Petermann Gletscher, Greenland. Journal of Glaciology 42(142): 476-485.

    Scheuchl, B., J. Mouginot, E. Rignot, M. Morlighem, and A. Khazendar. 2016. Grounding line retreat of Pope, Smith, and Kohler Glaciers, West Antarctica, measured with Sentinel-1a radar interferometry data. Geophysical Research Letters 43: 8572–8579. doi: 10.1002/2016GL069287.

    Scheuchl, B., J. Mouginot, and E. Rignot. 2012. Ice velocity changes in the Ross and Ronne sectors observed using satellite radar data from 1997 and 2009. The Cryosphere 6: 1019-1030. doi: 10.5194/tc-6-1019-2012.

    Schmeltz, M., E. Rignot, and D. McAyeal. 2001. Ephemeral grounding as a signal of ice-shelf change. Journal of Glaciology 47(156): 71-77.

    Shepherd, A., et al. 2012. A reconciled estimate of ice sheet mass balance. Science 338(6111): 1,183-1,189. doi: 10.1126/science.1228102.

    RELATED DATA COLLECTIONS

    ICESat-Derived Grounding Zone for Antarctic Ice Shelves

    MEaSUREs InSAR-Based Antarctica Ice Velocity Map

    MEaSUREs Antarctic Grounding Line from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry

    MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries for IPY 2007-2009 from Satellite Radar

    MEaSUREs InSAR-Based Ice Velocity Maps of Central Antarctica: 1997 and 2009

    MEaSUREs InSAR-Based Ice Velocity of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica

    Contacts and Acknowledgments

    Dr. Jeremie Mouginot
    University of California, Irvine
    Department of Earth System Science
    Croul Hall
    Irvine, California 92697
    USA

    Dr. Bernd Scheuchl
    University of California, Irvine
    Department of Earth System Science
    Croul Hall
    Irvine, California 92697
    USA

    Dr. Eric Rignot
    University of California, Irvine
    Department of Earth System Science
    Croul Hall
    Irvine, California 92697
    USA

    Acknowledgments: 

    Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2014-2015), acquired by the European Space Agency, distributed through the Alaska Satellite Facility, and processed by Mouginot, J., B. Scheuchl, and E. Rignot.

    Document Information

    DOCUMENT CREATION DATE

    March 2017

    DOCUMENT REVISION DATE

    No technical references available for this data set.

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