The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative II data collection

The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative II is compiling and producing a collection of high priority, global, interdisciplinary data sets that is responsive to the requirements of the International GEWEX Project Office (IGPO), and the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme Biospheric Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle (IGBP/BAHC) and ISLSCP scientific communities. The ISLSCP II activities, funded through NASA´s Land Surface Hydrology Program, improve upon the original ISLSCP I collection by covering a longer period of time from 1986 to 1995, with at least a monthly time step, but also with many products being provided at spatial resolutions ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 and 1 degree. The satellite-derived vegetation data set that forms the core of the ISLSCP II collection covers the period from 1982 to 1998. The collection includes a variety of remotely-sensed data sets ranging from visible to microwave wavelengths. The data sets also include improved topography, surface radiation, near-surface meteorology, precipitation, runoff, and soil data sets that can be used in a variety of interdisciplinary research activities. Several data sets to support global carbon and biogeochemical studies are also provided. The final ISLSCP II collection is to be published in mid-2002 with any data sets currently available being accessible through the ISLSCP II web page (http://islscp2.gsfc.nasa.gov).