NASA ICESat-2: Space-Borne LiDAR for Geological Education and Field Mapping of Aeolian Sand Dune Environments

Satellites are launched frequently to monitor the Earth’s dynamic surface processes. For example, Landsat legacy has thrived for past 50 years, spanning almost entire application spectrum of Earth Sciences. On other hand, fewer satellites with a single specific mission address pressing scientific questions, e.g., study polar icecaps and their response climate change using Ice Cloud Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) program ICESat-1 (decommissioned in 2009) ICESat-2. ICESat-2 been operational since 2018 provided unprecedented success space-borne LiDAR technology. provides exceptional details topographies covering inland ice, snow, glaciers, land, waterbodies, vegetation three-dimensional (3D) space time, offering unique opportunity quantify Nevertheless, is not well known some disciplines, Geology Geomorphology. This study, first introduces use aeolian sand dune studies, purely from an remote sensing data perspective. Two objectives investigated. first, simplified approach understanding products along domains. Additionally, processing methods software applications briefly explained unify information article. Secondly, exemplified environments analyzed compared global Digital Models (DEMs), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Our investigation shows that high-resolution topographic desert significant improvements existing methods, thereby facilitating geological education field mapping. Aeolian can be better understood, at present, traditional DEM-based methods.