cryoswath 0.2.1.post1

Swath processing toolbox for CryoSat-2

cryoswath

cryoswath is a python package containing processing pipelines, a tool library, and some pre-assembled data to retrieve and study CryoSat-2 data.

Adaptability lies at its core. The user can access many options simply by passing arguments to functions; everything else can be customized changing the concerned function or adding a new one.

🌱 state

cryoswath is being developed. Branch main contains the "pip"-installable package, scripts contains tutorials, and data contains auxiliary data and the required directory structure. You can have everything setup automatically (see "getting started"). Other branches are for development.

✨ features

• find all CryoSat-2 tracks passing over your region of interest
• download L1b data from ESA
• retrieve swath elevation estimates
• aggregate point data to gridded data
• fill data gaps using tested methods
• calculate change rates

🚀 getting started

There is a number of ways you can start off. I will give detailed instructions for UNIX systems. Make sure to use python 3.11 or higher. Further, I recommend to use a virtual environment and will involve python-venv in the instructions (however, conda works similar).

with git 🐙

advantage: easy pulling bugfixes

Set up a project directory, pull this repo, create virtual environment, initialize, and download ArcticDEM and the RGI glacier and complex shape files into the data/auxiliary/DEM and -RGI directories.

proj_dir=altimetry-project
git clone https://github.com/j-haacker/cryoswath.git $proj_dir
cd $proj_dir
python3.11 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
cryoswath-init

with pip 📦

advantage: easy installation

Set up a project directory, create virtual environment, install cryoswath, initialize, and download ArcticDEM and the RGI glacier and complex shape files into the data/auxiliary/DEM and -RGI directories.

proj_dir=altimetry-project
mkdir $proj_dir
cd $proj_dir
python3.11 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install cryoswath
cryoswath-init

with Docker 🐳

advantage: will almost always work

note: the first time running the docker image require to download ~ 1 Gb

1. If you don't yet have a designated project directory, make one. I will assume its relative path is pro/ject
2. Then execute docker run -it -p 8888:8888 -v pro/ject:/home/jovyan cryoswath/jupyterlab:v0.2.1
3. You will receive an address including a token with which you can connect to the jupyterlab using your browser
4. Open a regular shell and execute cryoswath-init
5. Open the scripts folder in the explorer and select one of the notebooks or create your own (inside the scripts folder)

conda

New setup instructions coming soon.

multiple projects

Similar to the above, set up a virtual environment but rather locate it in a neutral directory. For each project, run cryoswath-init.

📖 documentation

j-haacker.github.io/cryoswath

dependencies

• requirements.txt
• reference elevation model
• glacier outlines

cryoswath will point you to the required resources.

🐛 known issues

• projected RGI basins sometimes "invalid" -> add .make_valid() if it is missing somewhere

• it has mostly been tested for the Arctic

  Further: see open issues.

citation and attribution

You can cite this package using bibtex:

@software{cryoswath,
  author       = {Haacker, Jan},
  title        = {cryoswath: v0.2.1},
  month        = feb,
  year         = 2025,
  publisher    = {Zenodo},
  version      = {v0.2.1},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.14837018}
}

Please mind that you likely used other resources on the way.

• ESA provides the L1b data under these Terms and Conditions
• RGI data is distributed under CC-BY-4.0 license
• if you (likely) used DEMs of the PGC, see their Acknowledgement Policy
• the many python packages and libraries this package depends on; some of which are indispensable.

📜 license

MIT. See LICENSE.txt.