SMAP-Derived Perennial Firn Aquifer and Ice Slab Extents, 2015-2019

Greenland's ice sheet features derived from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite data between 2015 and 2019. The dataset maps the extents of perennial firn aquifers and ice slabs, which are critical for understanding meltwater storage and runoff. It was created by Julie Z. Miller at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial distribution of firn aquifers based on SMAP-derived extents.
• Analyzing temporal changes in ice slab coverage over the 2015-2019 period.
• Validating and improving ice sheet hydrological models using satellite-observed feature extents.
• Studying the relationship between perennial water storage and surface melt in Greenland's firn.

Strengths

• Data is derived from NASA's SMAP satellite, a recognized scientific instrument.
• Provides a multi-year time series from 2015 to 2019 for change analysis.
• Focuses on specific, scientifically relevant cryospheric features (firn aquifers and ice slabs).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial resolution are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

University of Colorado Boulder

Collection Method

Derived from NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite data.

Time Range

2015-2019

Geography

Greenland ice sheet