ICESat-2 will precisely map the Earth's third dimension

ICESat-2 will precisely map the Earth’s third dimension Today’s Video of the Day from NASA Goddard describes the objectives of ICESat-2, which is part of NASA’s Earth Observing System.

The ICESat-2 mission will measure the Earth’s “third dimension” – which is made up of glaciers, sea ice, mountains, and forests – with unprecedented precision. ICESat-2 will also survey heights of the world’s forests, lakes, urban areas, cloud cover and more, adding a third dimension to flat images of Earth from space. Other Earth-observing satellites, such as Landsat and MODIS, allow researchers to study the location and extent of forests; ICESat-2 will allow them to add the height.

ICESat-2’s sole instrument, ATLAS, collects elevation data using six laser beams – which gives the new mission much denser coverage of Earth’s surface. The original ICESat had a single laser beam, collecting data in a grid shown to the left. The original ICESat had a single laser beam, collecting data in a grid shown to the left. With ICESat-2’s six laser beams, the satellite will be able to take measurements in a much denser grid, as seen on the right. ICESat-2 is a NASA follow-up mission to ICESat with the goal to continue measuring and monitoring the impacts of the changing environment. The ICESat-2 observatory contains a single instrument, an improved laser altimeter called ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System).  ICESat-2 will precisely map the Earth’s third dimension.

Data from the satellite will enable scientists to track changes in the terrain of ecosystems worldwide.

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center