Antarctica in Three Dimensions
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Credit
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
ICESat First Light Release: Antarctica in Three Dimensions
ICESat's orbit was designed to maximize coverage over the great polar ice sheets, where ground tracks overlap to create an intricate grid of data points. The accumulation of these data points in the Southern Hemisphere results in a new three-dimensional elevation model of Antarctica. ICESat repeats its orbital pattern every eight days, allowing the GLAS instrument to measure changes over time in the same location. In order to measure ice sheet mass balance, the satellite's advanced technology is providing data on the critically important third dimension, elevation.
Animation showing ICESat tracks criss-crossing over Antarctica