ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Calibrated Backscatter Profiles and Atmospheric Layer Characteristics Quick Look, Version 7
Data set id:
ATL09QL
DOI: 10.5067/ATLAS/ATL09QL.007
This is the most recent version of these data.
Version Summary
Version Summary
-Addition of a new L3A cloud folding algorithm to better detect and flag instances when clouds above 15 km are folded down to the lower few km of the profile.
-Detection and flagging of layers that are wholly below ground and thus folded.
-Detection and flagging of folded layers that straddle ground.
-Setting the layer_attr parameter to a value of 11 when a layer is determined to be folded from above 15 km.
-Changes to the structure of the layer detection algorithm (DDA) to enable execution of N passes of the DDA.
-Improved thin layer detection.
-Detection and flagging of layers that are wholly below ground and thus folded.
-Detection and flagging of folded layers that straddle ground.
-Setting the layer_attr parameter to a value of 11 when a layer is determined to be folded from above 15 km.
-Changes to the structure of the layer detection algorithm (DDA) to enable execution of N passes of the DDA.
-Improved thin layer detection.
Overview
ATL09QL is the quick look version of ATL09 and is based on the same algorithms that generate the ATL09 final data products. Once final ATL09 files are available, the corresponding ATL09QL files are removed. ATL09QL contains calibrated, attenuated backscatter profiles (CAB), layer-integrated attenuated backscatter, blowing snow, and other parameters including cloud and aerosol layer height and atmospheric characteristics. The data were acquired by the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument on board the ICESat-2 observatory.
Parameter(s):
CLOUD PROPERTIES
LIDAR BACKSCATTER
Platform(s):
ICESat-2
Sensor(s):
ATLAS
Data Format(s):
HDF5
Temporal Coverage:
- 1 June 2025 to present
Temporal Resolution:
- 91 day
Spatial Resolution:
- Not Specified
Spatial Reference System(s):
- WGS 84EPSG:4326
Spatial Coverage:
- N:88S:-88E:180W:-180
Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.
Data Access & Tools
A free NASA Earthdata Login account is required to access these data. Learn More
Documentation
User Guide
ATBDs
General Resources
Product Specification Documents
Help Articles
General Questions & FAQs
This article covers frequently asked questions about the NASA NSIDC DAAC's Earthdata cloud migration project and what it means to data users.
Read this help article to learn about what ICESat-2 quick look data products are and how to find them.
How to Articles
The NASA Earthdata Cloud is the NASA cloud-based archive of Earth observations. It is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Learn how to find and access NSIDC DAAC data directly in the cloud.