Sample LIMA Data versus MOA Data of Ross Island

  • Released Thursday, March 8, 2007
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The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) is a data product funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and jointly produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The images shown here are compared to what is currently the best mosaic of Antarctica called the MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA). MOA is a composite of 260 swaths comprised of both Terra and Aqua MODIS images acquired between November 20, 2003 and February 29, 2004. MOA's data resolution is approximately 150 meters per pixel. From large continental views of Antarctica, MOA is more than adequate. However, as we get closer in to the surface, the resolution of the MOA data begins to show, thus highlighting the value of the LIMA product once it is complete. The LIMA data shown here uses the pan-chromatic band which translates to a resolution of 15 meters per pixel (opposed to MOA's 150 meters per pixel resolution). The 13 swaths used to generate this sample mosaic where acquired between December 25, 1999 and December 31, 2001. The elevation shown is actual (1x). Comparing this sample LIMA data set alongside MOA data over the same region shows the value of having a higher resolution view of Antarctica.

This brief animation does a mosaic dissolve between the lower resolution MOA data of the area where Ross Island meets the Ross Ice Shelf to the high resolution LIMA data of the same region.

Lower resolution MOA data (150 meters per pixel) of the same area where Ross Island meets the Ross Ice Shelf.

Lower resolution MOA data (150 meters per pixel) of the same area where Ross Island meets the Ross Ice Shelf.

High resolution LIMA data (15 meters per pixel) of the area where Ross Island meets the Ross Ice Shelf.

High resolution LIMA data (15 meters per pixel) of the area where Ross Island meets the Ross Ice Shelf.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio LIMA Data provided by: Patricia Vornberger (SAIC)

This page was originally published on Thursday, March 8, 2007.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM EDT.

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Datasets used

  • Band Combination 3, 2, 1 [Landsat-7: ETM+]

    ID: 537
    Sensor: ETM+

    This dataset can be found at: http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/wrs.html

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  • Land Surface Reflectance [Terra: MODIS]

    ID: 542
    Sensor: MODIS Collected by: NASA

    This dataset can be found at: http://landweb.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/browse/browse.cgi

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • LIMA (Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica) [Landsat-7: ETM+]

    ID: 599
    Type: Mosaic Sensor: ETM+ Collected by: NASA/GSFC, British Antarctic Survey, USGS EROS Data Center Dates used: 12/25/1999 - 12/31/2001

    Mosaicing to avoid clouds produced a high quality, nearly cloud-free benchmark data set of Antarctica for the International Polar Year from images collected primarily during 1999-2003.

    This dataset can be found at: http://lima.nasa.gov/

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • MOA (MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) Image Map) [Terra and Aqua: MODIS]

    ID: 627
    Type: Mosaic Sensor: MODIS Collected by: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the University of New Hampshire Dates used: 11/20/2003 - 02/29/2004

    Staff from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and the University of New Hampshire have assembled two digital image maps of surface morphology and optical snow grain size that cover the Antarctic continent and its surrounding islands. The MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) image maps are derived from composites of 260 MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) orbit swaths acquired between 20 November 2003 and 29 February 2004. The MOA provides a cloud-free view of the ice sheet, ice shelves, and land surfaces, and a quantitative measure of optical snow grain size for snow- or ice-covered areas. All land areas larger than a few hundred meters that are south of 60° S are included in the mosaic, as well as persistent fast ice regions and some grounded icebergs present near the coast in the 2003-2004 austral summer. The MOA surface morphology image map is derived from digitally processed MODIS Band 1 data. The optical snow grain size image is compiled using a normalized ratio of atmospherically corrected, calibrated band radiance data from Bands 1 and 2.

    This dataset can be found at: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0280.html

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Note: While we identify the data sets used on this page, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.