NSF COLDEX CXA2: Airborne Antarctic Geophysical Measurements 2023-2024

NSF COLDEX 2023-2024 Airborne Season (CXA2) Level 1B data provides georeferenced, time-registered instrument measurements from Antarctic surveys. The collection includes laser ranging, magnetic field strength and orientation, and GPS positioning data converted to SI units in space-delimited ASCII files. This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Center for Oldest Ice Exploration.

Use Cases

• Reprocessing raw laser altimetry data for surface elevation models based on the ILUTP1B laser range data.
• Analyzing crustal tectonics and temperature structure based on the IMGEO1B total magnetic field and IMFGM1B magnetic vector data.
• Validating aircraft positioning and timing for other data streams using the IPUTG1B GPS position data.
• Studying subglacial topography and ice flow patterns using data from planned transects like CLX radials and NPXE radials.

Strengths

• Data is georeferenced and time-registered, providing precise spatial and temporal context.
• Measurements are converted to SI units, ensuring standardization for reprocessing.
• Follows established formats from the predecessor ICECAP/OIB project at NASA's NSIDC DAAC.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the #-delimited headers in each granule.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Texas Data Repository Harvested Dataverse, author Duncan Young, supported by NSF COLDEX.

Collection Method

Airborne surveys conducted during the 2023-2024 Antarctic season, with data from laser altimeters, magnetometers, and GPS.

Time Range

2023-2024

Freshness

Last updated 2025-12-22 05:10:14; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctica, including specific transects radiating from Dome A and South Pole.