Greenland Glacier Monthly Velocity Maps from Landsat and ASTER

Mean monthly velocity maps for selected Greenland glacier outlet areas track ice movement. The NASA MEaSUREs program produced this data using optical images from Landsat 4, 5, 7, 8, and ASTER satellites. The dataset was last updated in November 2021.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal or inter-annual velocity trends in specific outlet glaciers using the monthly mean maps.
• Validate ice flow models by comparing simulated velocities against satellite-derived feature-tracking data.
• Correlate glacier acceleration events with climate forcings using the temporal series of velocity maps.
• Map strain rates and ice discharge by calculating spatial gradients from the velocity field data.

Strengths

• Data originates from the NASA MEaSUREs program, ensuring a research-quality record.
• Integrates imagery from multiple satellite sensors (Landsat 4, 5, 7, 8, ASTER) for temporal continuity.
• Provides mean monthly velocity, offering a regular temporal resolution for trend analysis.

Limitations

• Coverage is limited to selected glacier outlet areas, not the entire ice sheet.
• Optical imagery tracking is constrained by cloud cover and polar darkness, creating data gaps.
• Specific spatial resolution, accuracy metrics, and total number of maps are not provided.

Provenance

Source

NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) program.

Collection Method

Velocity maps generated by tracking visible features between optical image pairs from satellites.

Time Range

Temporal coverage spans the operational periods of Landsat 4, 5, 7, 8, and ASTER (specific years null).

Freshness

Last updated in 2021; update frequency is null.

Geography

Selected glacier outlet areas in Greenland.