Alaska Tidewater Glacier Terminus Positions Digitized from Maps and Imagery

Alaska tidewater glacier terminus positions are digitized from USGS topographic maps and Landsat images. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Platform update dates conflict, ranging from 2012 to a future date in 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing decadal-scale terminus retreat rates for individual Alaskan tidewater glaciers.
• Correlating terminus position changes with climate variables like temperature or precipitation.
• Validating and calibrating ice flow and glacier dynamics models using historical position data.
• Mapping the spatial distribution and variability of glacier retreat across coastal Alaska.

Strengths

• Data is derived from authoritative sources: USGS topographic maps and Landsat satellite imagery.
• Focus on tidewater glaciers, which are significant contributors to sea-level rise.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized scientific value.

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts exist: the last updated date is reported as both 2012-12-31 and 2026-03 13.
• Essential details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without providing the terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Positions digitized from USGS topographic maps and Landsat images.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-13 19:00:12.621840

Geography

Alaska, specifically tidewater glaciers