AVHRR Data at NSIDC

AVHRR Data at NSIDC

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) maintains and distributes a variety of AVHRR data products, including a collection of AVHRR Polar Pathfinder data. We also use AVHRR level 1b imagery to monitor developing melt ponds and ice sheet breakup in Antarctica.

AVHRR image of Ross Ice Shelf, 12/29/00
AVHRR visible image of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, 29 December 2000

AVHRR Data Related Projects at NSIDC

NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Program at NSIDC: a jointly sponsored NOAA/NASA program designed to provide scientists with a time series of global-scale remote sensing data for the period prior to the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite launches.

Images of Antarctic Ice Shelves: The Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC) at NSIDC archives and distributes Antarctic glaciological and cryospheric system data collected by the U.S. Antarctic Program. Researchers at NSIDC, funded through AGDC, monitor ice shelves changes in the Antarctic Peninsula using AVHRR data.

See also Larsen Ice Shelf Breakup Events for announcements and corresponding images related to our monitoring of the Antarctic Coast, our tracking of Antarctic Peninsular ice shelves, and other Antarctic ice shelf events.

AVHRR Polar Pathfinder Data

All AVHRR products from the NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Program at NSIDC are in 1-byte and 2-byte integer grid format.

AVHRR Polar Pathfinder Twice-Daily 1.25 km EASE-Grid Composites: This data set is useful for detail process studies in regions of special interest.

parameters: twice-daily gridded and calibrated channel data, clear sky surface broadband albedo and skin temperature, solar zenith angle, surface type mask, cloud mask, orbit mask, time of acquisition, and ice motion vectors
coverage: poleward from 48.4 degrees north and 53.2 degrees south latitudes, from August 1993 through December 1998 for the Northern Hemisphere, and from April 1992 through January 1996 for the Southern Hemisphere

AVHRR Polar Pathfinder Twice-Daily 5 km EASE-Grid Composites: This data set provides a time series overview of each pole with a high level of detail, yet it still shows the entirety of both polar regions. These data facilitate regional studies, climate studies, and evaluation and forcing of large-scale physical models.

parameters: twice-daily gridded and calibrated channel data, clear sky surface broadband albedo and skin temperature, solar zenith angle, satellite elevation angle, sun-satellite relative azimuth angle, surface type mask, cloud mask, and time of acquisition
coverage: poleward from 48.4 degrees north and 53.2 degrees south latitudes, from 24 July 1981 to 30 June 2005

AVHRR Polar Pathfinder Twice-Daily 25 km EASE-Grid Composites: This data set provides a time series overview of each pole at 25 km resolution. The 25 km grid values are generated by subsampling the 5 km grids. For parameters other than the cloud mask, data characteristics are the same as for the corresponding 5 km product.

parameters: twice-daily gridded and calibrated channel data, clear sky surface broadband albedo and skin temperature, average albedo and temperature, valid fraction file, solar zenith angle, satellite elevation angle, sun-satellite relative azimuth angle, surface type mask, cloud mask, cloud fraction files, and time of acquisition
coverage: poleward from 48.4 degrees north and 53.2 degrees south latitudes, from July 1981 through December 2000

Polar Pathfinder Sampler: a collaborative CD-ROM product of the AVHRR, SMMR-SSM/I and TOVS Polar Pathfinder research teams on includes sample data, time series visualizations, and browse products for temporal and spatial subsets of these data sets.