AMSRIce06: Airborne Lidar Measurements of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow

AMSRIce06 Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) Lidar Data, Version 1 contains point cloud measurements collected by a P3 aircraft. The data capture sea ice conditions in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and snow cover off the northern coast of Alaska. Documentation and support for this dataset are noted as limited, as they were provided solely by the Principal Investigator(s) and not further reviewed by NSIDC.

Use Cases

• Modeling sea ice roughness and topography based on Lidar point cloud elevation data.
• Analyzing snow cover extent and properties over coastal Alaska.
• Validating satellite-derived sea ice extent and thickness measurements.
• Studying seasonal and interannual variability of Arctic ice and snow.

Strengths

• Provides direct, high-resolution Lidar measurements of the Arctic surface.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its established use in the research community.
• Focuses on a specific, critical region (Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, North Alaska).

Limitations

• Documentation and support are explicitly noted as limited and unreviewed.
• Column names and dataset size are unknown, hindering detailed assessment.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata between sources (2006 vs. 2026).

Provenance

Source

NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center), Principal Investigator(s).

Collection Method

Data gathered by the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) Lidar instrument mounted on a P3 aircraft.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated metadata conflicts: one source states 2006-03-25, another states 2026-03-13.

Geography

Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and the northern coast of Alaska, USA.