The Advanced Topographic Altimeter System (ATLAS) aboard the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) collects elevation data over all surfaces spanning the world’s frozen regions, forests, lakes, urban areas, and more. Subsets of ATLAS/ICESat-2 data such as sea ice height, land and vegetation height, atmospheric layer characteristics, sea ice freeboard, and inland water surface heights are now available at an expedited latency. These ATLAS/ICESat-2 quick look data with expedited latency will support a variety of users and applications, including sea ice forecasting and supporting decision-makers looking at vegetation height, surface water and flooding, and land surface deformation from landslides and volcanoes.
NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE) generally provides ICESat-2 quick look data within 3 days of satellite observation in comparison to an average latency of 45 days for the standard dataset.
To download ATLAS/ICESat-2 quick look data, register for an Earthdata Login. Use the table below to access specific LANCE datasets.
Note: On Wednesdays, NSIDC DAAC systems typically undergo system maintenance and access to the ICESat-2 quick look data might not be available during these planned maintenance events. More precise maintenance times are available on the dataset landing pages on the day of the event.
ATLAS/ICESat-2 - Version 6
| Data Set Download | Description | Volume (GB/day) | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL07QL | ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height Quick Look | 3.81 | Available in download directory |
| ATL08QL | ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height Quick Look | 34.48 | Available in download directory |
| ATL09QL | ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Calibrated Backscatter Profiles and Atmospheric Layer Characteristics Quick Look | 13.78 | Available in download directory |
| ATL10QL | ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Freeboard Quick Look | 2.17 | Available in download directory |
| ATL13QL | ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Along Track Inland Surface Water Data Quick Look | 0.20 | Available in download directory |
- ATLAS/ICESat-2 quick look datasets have a latency of 3 days from acquisition
- The quick look data files will be archived and distributed from NSIDC DAAC until the standard data files are ingested
- ATLAS/ICESat-2 standard datasets have an average latency of 45 days from acquisition
ICESat-2 Quick Look Data and Information
- Download ICESat-2 quick look data directly from:
- NASA's National Snow and Ice Data Center DAAC (NSIDC DAAC)
- ICESat-2 landing page at NSIDC DAAC
- Subscription to mailing lists by data set are available on the data set landing pages