IceBridge Laser Altimeter Ranges for Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets

Laser ranges, returned pulses, and pulse deviation data were collected over Antarctica and Greenland by the ICECAP project. The data were gathered using a Riegl Laser Altimeter during NASA's Operation IceBridge missions. The dataset was last updated by the NSIDC_CPRD organization in January 2013.

Use Cases

• Calculate ice sheet surface elevation changes by analyzing time-tagged laser ranges.
• Study surface roughness and penetration characteristics using the returned pulses and pulse deviation features.
• Validate and calibrate broader satellite altimetry missions like ICESat with ground-truthed laser range data.
• Map subglacial topography and bedrock elevation by processing the laser return signal deviations.

Strengths

• Data covers two major ice sheets: Antarctica and Greenland.
• Contains specific measurements: laser ranges, returned pulses, and pulse deviation.
• Collected under the Operation IceBridge mission, a major airborne campaign.

Limitations

• Dataset has not been updated since January 2013, indicating potential staleness.
• Specific sample size, row count, and geographic precision within the regions are unknown.
• The absence of detailed column information limits immediate understanding of data structure.

Provenance

Source

NSIDC_CPRD, collected for the ICECAP project funded by NSF, NERC, and NASA.

Collection Method

Airborne data collection using a Riegl Laser Altimeter during Operation IceBridge flights.

Freshness

Last updated in 2013; no update frequency provided.

Geography

Antarctica and Greenland.