ATLAS laser altimeter data provides geolocated land-ice surface heights above the WGS84 ellipsoid. These measurements are from the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System instrument aboard the ICESat-2 satellite observatory. The data are produced by the NSIDC_CPRD organization.
Use Cases
- Model ice sheet thinning rates by analyzing time-series changes in surface height measurements.
- Assess regional ice mass loss by correlating geolocated height data with ancillary quality parameters.
- Validate and calibrate other remote sensing elevation models using the laser altimeter height estimates.
Strengths
- Data originates from the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), a precise spaceborne instrument.
- Includes ancillary parameters for assessing the quality of each height estimate.
Limitations
- Specific temporal coverage, row count, and geographic extent are unknown from the provided description.
- The absence of column details limits understanding of the full feature set and potential biases.
Provenance
- Source
- NSIDC_CPRD, using data from the ATLAS instrument on the ICESat-2 satellite.
- Collection Method
- Acquired via satellite laser altimetry.
- Geography
- Land ice regions globally.