Antarctic Digital Elevation Model from Combined Satellite Altimetry

A 1 km resolution Digital Elevation Model of Antarctica combines ERS-1 radar altimeter data from 1994 and ICESat laser altimeter data from 2003 to 2008. The dataset is approximately 240 MB and is provided by the NSIDC. It is available as gridded binary files with ENVI headers for specialized geospatial analysis.

Use Cases

• Modeling ice sheet dynamics and volume change using continent-wide elevation data.
• Providing a topographic base layer for mapping Antarctic geological and glaciological features.
• Calibrating and validating other remote sensing elevation measurements against this combined altimetry product.
• Studying coastal processes and grounding line positions using detailed elevation data near the ice sheet margin.

Strengths

• Combines two complementary satellite altimetry sources (ERS-1 radar and ICESat laser) for improved accuracy.
• Provides continent-wide coverage of Antarctica at a consistent 1 km spatial resolution.
• Data spans a multi-decade period from March 1994 to March 2008, capturing temporal changes.

Limitations

• Conflicting last update dates: one source lists 2008-03-21, while others list 2026-03-13, suggesting possible metadata errors.
• Specific column names and detailed data structure are not provided in the source metadata.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center).

Collection Method

Combined measurements from the ERS-1 Satellite Radar Altimeter and the ICESat Geosciences Laser Altimeter System.

Time Range

March 1994 to March 2008.

Freshness

2008-03-21 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Continent of Antarctica.