Earth Science Data Roundup: June 2024

Alaska Satellite Facility Distributed Active Archive Center (ASF DAAC)

New Tutorials Available for Working with NISAR Sample Data

NASA's ASF DAAC released tutorials for working with sample NASA/ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) data products developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). JPL released the sample data products to help users familiarize themselves with NISAR data formats, aid in the creation of workflows supporting NISAR datasets, and provide an idea of what the NISAR data products will look like once the mission is operational. Tutorials are available for working with NISAR sample data in a GIS environment (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS), data exploration with Panoply, and data transformation using GDAL commands.

Explore the NISAR tutorials and more information

Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)

Release of Datasets from the Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry Near the Equator-Atlantic (TRACE-A) Campaign

NASA's ASDC released several datasets from the TRACE-A campaign, which deployed a NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with a suite of instruments capable of producing high-quality measurements of ozone, aerosol precursors, oxidants, and greenhouse and trace gases.

The TRACE-A campaign took place from September to October 1992 over the tropical Atlantic Ocean, which extends from Brazil to southern Africa. Data access and more information about each product is available from each product link.

The datasets include:

• TRACE-A DC-8 In-Situ Trace Gas Data: Contains data from the Two Photon-Laser Induced Fluorescence (TP-LIF) and Differential Absorption of carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide measurement (DACOM) instruments
• TRACE-A DC-8 Remotely Sensed Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL): Offers remotely sensed DIAL data collected by instruments aboard the DC-8 aircraft
• TRACE-A Kinematic Trajectory: Provides kinematic trajectory data collected from the TP-LIF and DACOM instruments
• TRACE-A Supplementary Satellite: Provides supplementary satellite data collected during the campaign, including data from the NOAA 10, 11, and 12 satellites and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument
• TRACE-A Balloonsondes and Ozonesondes: Provides balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected during the campaign
• TRACE-A Brazil: Provides the aircraft and rawinsonde data collected in Brazil during the campaign; data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument is featured in this collection
• TRACE-A In Situ DC-8 Meteorology and Navigation Data: Provides in-situ meteorology and navigation data collected by instruments aboard the DC-8 aircraft
• TRACE-A Merge Data: Provides merge data files created from data collected by instruments aboard the DC-8 aircraft

New Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Product Available

ASDC released the GEWEX SRB Rel-4 Longwave Monthly Average by local Land-only Fluxes data product. The new product contains land-only global fields of 26 longwave surface, Top of Atmosphere (TOA), and atmospheric profile radiative parameters derived with the Longwave algorithm of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)/GEWEX SRB Project. The temporal range is July 1983 through December 1987.

Access the GEWEX SRB data product and more information

Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center DAAC (GHRC DAAC)

Four New Datasets from the IMPACTS Campaign

NASA's GHRC DAAC released four new datasets from the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign. IMPACTS was a three-year sequence of winter season deployments conducted to study snowstorms over the U.S. Atlantic Coast between 2020 and 2023. The datasets include:

• Stony Brook University (SBU) X-band Phased Array Radar (SKYLER): Consists of polarimetric radar data and includes reflectivity, mean velocity, spectrum width, linear depolarization ratio, differential reflectivity, differential phase, specific differential phase, co-polarized correlation coefficient, and signal-to-noise ratio. The files are in netCDF4 format and cover the period from January 17, 2022, through February 28, 2023.
• Cloud Physics LiDAR (CPL): Consists of backscatter coefficient, lidar depolarization ratio, layer top/base height, layer type, particulate extinction coefficient, ice water content, and layer/cumulative optical depth data collected from the CPL aboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The dataset files are available in HDF5 format and cover the period from January 15, 2020, through March 2, 2023.
• ER-2 X-band Radar (EXRAD): Consists of radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity estimates collected by the EXRAD aboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The EXRAD IMPACTS dataset files are available in HDF5 format and cover the period from January 25, 2020, through March 2, 2023.
• Turbulent Air Motion Measurement System (TAMMS): Consists of wind speed, wind direction, and cross-wind speed measurements from the TAMMS instrument aboard the NASA P-3 aircraft. The files are available in ASCII-ict format and cover the period from January 18, 2020, through February 28, 2023.

Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)

New Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Sample Data Released

NASA's GES DISC released the Cross-Track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Level 1B Principal Component Analysis (PCA)/Rapid Event Detection (RED) data products for the Joint Polar Satellite System's (JPSS) NOAA-20 satellite.

This sample data collection contains Level 1B radiance values that are compressed and denoised via PCA. Additionally, the dataset contains a new RED product, which for multiple spectral regions identifies where rare signals are observed and provides an efficient and useful way to locate and study interesting phenomena. Some of the potential uses for these RED components are the detection of atmospheric gases where wildfires and volcanoes occur.

Access CrIS sample data and more information

TROPICS CubeSats 01, 03, 05, and 06 Provisional Data Released

A suite of provisional datasets from the Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) mission are now available. The data products in this release include:

• Level 1A Orbital Geolocated Native-Resolution Brightness Temperatures
• Level 1B Orbital Geolocated Native-Resolution Brightness Temperatures
• Level 2A Unified Resolution Brightness Temperatures Product
• Level 2B Atmospheric Vertical Temperature and Moisture Profiles Products
• Level 2B Instantaneous Surface Rain Rate Products

NASA defines provisional data product maturity as a data product that is ready to "facilitate data exploration and process studies that do not require rigorous validation. These data are partially validated and improvements are continuing; quality may not be optimal since validation and quality assurance are ongoing."

Access TROPICS provisional data and more information

Western North America Land Data Assimilation (WLDAS) Version D1.0 Product Available

The Western North America Land Data Assimilation (WLDAS) provides water managers and stakeholders in the western United States with a long-term record of near-surface hydrology for use in drought assessment and water resources planning. Outputs of the model include 1-kilometer spatial resolution daily soil moisture, snow depth and snow water equivalent, evapotranspiration, and soil temperature data, as well as derived quantities such as groundwater recharge and anomalies of the state variables from 1979 to 2023. WLDAS data are archived in netCDF format.

Access WLDAS Version D1.0 and more information

Land Processes DAAC (LP DAAC)

South America Data Added to GLanCE

The Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Program's Global Land Cover Mapping and Estimation (GLanCE) project now includes data for South America.

The purpose of GLanCE is to provide 30 meter (m) global land cover and land cover change data for the period 2001 to 2019. GLanCE datasets are designed to be useful for a wide range of applications, including ecosystem, climate, and hydrologic modeling; monitoring the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change; carbon accounting; and land management. The addition of data for South America means that GLanCE now contains continental coverage over North America, South America, and Europe. Coverage for additional continents is expected in the coming months.

Access GLanCE South American data and more information

CAMEL 5 km V3 Products for 2022 and 2023 Now Available

NASA's LP DAAC added the years 2022 and 2023 of the NASA MEaSUREs Combined ASTER and MODIS Emissivity database over Land (CAMEL) Version 3 product suite. The historical record for the monthly CAMEL emissivity, coefficient, and uncertainty data products now range from March 1, 2000, to January 1, 2024.

Access CAMEL data and more information

Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System DAAC (LAADS DAAC)

Suomi NPP Level 2 and Higher VIIRS Data Products Unavailable Until Further Notice

Due to an anomaly with the joint NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Geographic Positioning System that began on May 25, 2024, there has been significant degradation in Suomi NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument data geolocation performance. As a result, all production of Suomi NPP VIIRS Level-2 and higher-level data products are being suspended. Users are advised not to use any Suomi NPP VIIRS data products that have been produced and are being distributed since May 25, 2024, until further notice.

More information about the Suomi NPP VIIRS data anomaly

National Snow and Ice Data Center DAAC (NSIDC DAAC)

GLIMS Glacier Database, Version 1 Dataset Updated

NASA's NSIDC DAAC updated the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) Glacier Database Version 1 dataset. The update includes new outlines for several glaciers in Alaska, Washington, Greenland, and New Zealand. Additionally, a number of glaciers in Washington and Wyoming are now classified as extinct.

The GLIMS database is a comprehensive glacier inventory that provides information about the extent and rate of change of the world's mountain glaciers and ice caps. The database is produced in coordination with the GLIMS initiative and covers the period from January 1, 1850, to present.

Access the GLIMS database and more information

Updates to IceBridge Datasets

NASA's NSIDC DAAC released updates to the Operation IceBridge Arizona Radio-Echo Sounder (ARES) Level 1B Geolocated Radar Echo Strength Profiles, Version 1, and IceBridge University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Level 1B High-Frequency (HF) Geolocated Radar Echo Strength Profiles, Version 1 datasets.

Previously unavailable files have been added as a result of processing efforts by the data authors. These datasets contain radar echograms acquired by ARES and the UAF’s HF Radar Sounder over select glaciers in Alaska.

Access updated IceBridge datasets and more information

Updates to ICESat-2 Datasets

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS)/Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Level 2A Global Geolocated Photon Data (ATL03) Version 6 dataset, the ATLAS/ICESat-2 Level 2A Normalized Relative Backscatter Profiles (ATL04) Version 6 dataset, and the higher-level products derived from the ATL03 and ATL04 data products have been updated. All products for Version 6 are now referenced to ITRF2014. Note: The Land-Ice-Height-derived products (ATL11, ATL14, and ATL15) have a different reprocessing workflow and will be processed at a later time.

Access updated ICESat-2 datasets and more information

VIIRS Snow and Sea Ice Datasets to Cease Forward Processing

VIIRS Version 1 (Collection 1) snow and sea ice datasets will cease forward processing on June 17, 2024. Although Version 1 data will remain available for download for several months, NASA's NSIDC DAAC strongly encourages users to transition to VIIRS Version 2 (Collection 2) prior to June 17, 2024.

More information about the end to VIIRS Version 1 (Collection 1) forward processing

SMAP L4 Data Reprocessed

Level 4 datasets from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission were reprocessed from November 1, 2023, through the present after an issue was discovered with the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG)-Late precipitation input after the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission orbit boost on November 7 to 8, 2023. The reprocessed data files have the science version ID (SVID) Vv7031 (the L4 SM products) and Vv7041 (the L4 carbon product) and now use the NOAA Climate Prediction Center "Unified" (CPCU) precipitation inputs instead of IMERG-Late precipitation inputs. Data from the older versions (Vv7030 and Vv7040) from November 1, 2023, through present are considered "bad" and users are strongly encouraged to download the newer files.

More information about the reprocessing of SMAP Level 4 data

Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL DAAC)

New GEDI Level 4C Dataset

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Level 4C Footprint Level Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 2 dataset is now available at NASA's ORNL DAAC. This dataset contains GEDI Level 4C Version 2 predictions of the Waveform Structural Complexity Index (WSCI) and estimates of prediction intervals for each footprint estimate at 95% confidence. The data are provided in HDF5 format and the granules are in sub-orbits.

The GEDI instrument is mounted on the International Space Station, and consists of three lasers producing a total of eight beam ground transects that instantaneously sample eight 25 m footprints spaced every 60 m along-track. The footprints are located within the global latitude band observed by the space station, nominally 51.6 degrees N and S and reported for the period April 17, 2019, to March 16, 2023.

For each of the eight beams, additional data are reported with the WSCI estimates, including the associated uncertainty metrics, quality flags, and other information about the GEDI L2A waveform for this selected algorithm setting group. Additional model outputs include WSCI predictions for each of the six GEDI L2A algorithm setting groups and associated prediction intervals. Providing these ancillary data products allows users to evaluate and select alternative algorithm setting groups.

Access the GEDI Level 4C Dataset and more information

Alaska Carbon Dioxide and Methane Fluxes from Waterbodies Dataset Released

NASA's ORNL DAAC released the Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) and Methane (CH₄) Fluxes from Waterbodies, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2016-2019 dataset. The dataset provides estimates of CO₂ and CH₄ diffusive fluxes from waterbodies along with watershed landcover data for the central-interior of Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The data are provided in GeoTIFF and shapefile formats.

Access the CO₂ and CH₄ Waterbody Fluxes dataset and more information

Physical Oceanography DAAC (PO.DAAC)

SWOT Ancillary Data Products Now Available

NASA's PO.DAAC released several Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) ancillary data products. The SWOT mission is a joint endeavor of NASA and CNES (Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales) that aims to provide the most accurate data and information about the global ocean and terrestrial surface water (lakes, rivers, and wetlands). Datasets included in this release are:

• Medium-accuracy Orbit Ephemeris (MOE, SWOT_MOE_1.0): Provides the position and velocity vectors of the satellite center of mass used in forward stream processing; available with latency of < 1.5 days
• Precise Orbit Ephemeris (POE, SWOT_POE_2.0): Provides the position and velocity vectors of the satellite center of mass used in the first SWOT reprocessing; available with latency of < 35 days
• Satellite Attitude Reconstructed (SWOT_ATTD_RECONST_2.0): Uses onboard gyro and star tracker data; available with latency of < 1.5 days
• Satellite Center of Mass Position (SWOT_SAT_COM_1.0): Provides center of mass with respect to the satellite's reference point; available with latency of < 1.5 days (Note: This is a historical product and the most recently available file provides a complete history since launch)
• Tracking Data from Onboard Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) and Global Positioning System Payload instruments (SWOT_L1_DORIS_RINEX_1.0 and SWOT_L1_GPSP_RINEX_1.0): Each instrument product available with a latency of < 2 days

Users are encouraged to read the SWOT User Handbook for guidance about data usage and the Product Description Documents (PDDs) for detailed explanations of data product content and format.

Access SWOT ancillary data products and more information