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LANDSAT

"The Landsat Program provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected measurements of Earth’s continents and surrounding coastal regions that have enabled people to study forests, food production, water and land use, ecosystems, geology, and more. The long data record allows scientists to evaluate the dynamic changes caused by both natural processes and human practices. The Landsat Program is jointly managed by the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA."  Landsat 8 (formerly the Landsat Data Continuity Mission) was launched on February 11, 2013. It joined Landsat 7 orbiting the earth.  These satellites continue to deliver visually stunning and scientifically valuable images of our planet.  These data allow scientists to assess changes in Earth’s landscape.

Key Strengths:

  • Long record and high resolution.

Years of Record

1972/01 to 2013/09
temporal metadataID:

Timestep

Sub-daily

Data Time Period Extended?

yes, data set is extended

Domain

Global

Vertical Levels

Surface Data Set

Earth system components and main variables

Biosphere, NPP: Net Primary Production, Land, Land Cover Type, Vegetation Cover

Suggested Data Citation

“Landsat imagery courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and U.S. Geological Survey” or “USGS/NASA Landsat”

Key Figures

Click the thumbnails to view larger sizes

Thumbnails

Captions

Cite this page

National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified 30 Sep 2013. "The Climate Data Guide: LANDSAT." Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/landsat.

Acknowledgement of any material taken from this page is appreciated. On behalf of experts who have contributed data, advice, and/or figures, please cite their work as well.
1972-01/2013-09

LANDSAT

"The Landsat Program provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected measurements of Earth’s continents and surrounding coastal regions that have enabled people to study forests, food production, water and land use, ecosystems, geology, and more. The long data record allows scientists to evaluate the dynamic changes caused by both natural processes and human practices. The Landsat Program is jointly managed by the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA."  Landsat 8 (formerly the Landsat Data Continuity Mission) was launched on February 11, 2013. It joined Landsat 7 orbiting the earth.  These satellites continue to deliver visually stunning and scientifically valuable images of our planet.  These data allow scientists to assess changes in Earth’s landscape.

1972-01/2013-09