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Estimation of Volume Changes of Mountain Glaciers from Icesat Data

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Estimation of Volume Changes of Mountain Glaciers from Icesat Data EGU Journal Logos (RGB) Open Access Open Access Open Access Advances in Annales Nonlinear Processes Geosciences Geophysicae in Geophysics Open Access Open Access Natural Hazards Natural Hazards and Earth System and Earth System Sciences Sciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric Chemistry Chemistry and Physics and Physics Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric Measurement Measurement Techniques Techniques Discussions Open Access Open Access Biogeosciences Biogeosciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Climate Climate of the Past of the Past Discussions Open Access Open Access Earth System Earth System Dynamics Dynamics Discussions Open Access Geoscientific Geoscientific Open Access Instrumentation Instrumentation Methods and Methods and Data Systems Data Systems Discussions Open Access Open Access Geoscientific Geoscientific Model Development Model Development Discussions Open Access Open Access Hydrology and Hydrology and Earth System Earth System Sciences Sciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Ocean Science Ocean Science Discussions Open Access Open Access Solid Earth Solid Earth Discussions Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | The Cryosphere Discuss., 7, 3261–3291, 2013 Open Access Open Access www.the-cryosphere-discuss.net/7/3261/2013/ TCD doi:10.5194/tcd-7-3261-2013 The Cryosphere The Cryosphere © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Discussions 7, 3261–3291, 2013 This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal The Cryosphere (TC). Estimation of volume Please refer to the corresponding final paper in TC if available. changes of mountain glaciers from ICESat Estimation of volume changes of data mountain glaciers from ICESat data: an J. Kropáček et al. example from the Aletsch Glacier, Swiss Title Page Alps Abstract Introduction J. Kropáček1,2, N. Neckel2, and A. Bauder3 Conclusions References Tables Figures 1Institute for Cartography, TU-Dresden, Helmholzstr. 10, 01062 Dresden, Germany 2Institute of Geography, University of Tuebingen, Rümelinstr. 19–23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany J I 3Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VaW), ETH Zurich, Gloriastrasse 37–39, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland J I Back Close Received: 25 April 2013 – Accepted: 29 May 2013 – Published: 2 July 2013 Correspondence to: J. Kropáček ([email protected]) Full Screen / Esc Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 3261 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract TCD Worldwide estimation of recent changes in glacier volume is challenging, but becomes more feasible with the help of present and future remote sensing missions. NASA’s Ice 7, 3261–3291, 2013 Cloud and Elevation Satellite (ICESat) mission provides accurate elevation estimates 5 derived from the two way travel time of the emitted laser pulse. In this study two differ- Estimation of volume ent methods were employed for derivation of surface elevation changes from ICESat changes of mountain records on example of the Aletsch Glacier. A statistical approach relies on elevation dif- glaciers from ICESat ferences of ICESat points to a reference DEM while an analytical approach compares data spatially similar ICESat tracks. Using the statistical approach, in the upper and lower −1 10 parts of the ablation area, the surface lowering was found to be from −2.1±0.15 m yr J. Kropáček et al. to −2.6 ± 0.10 m yr−1 and from −3.3 ± 0.36 m yr−1 to −5.3 ± 0.39 m yr−1, respectively, depending on the DEM used. Employing the analytical method, the surface lowering in the upper part of the ablation area was estimated as −2.5 ± 1.3 m yr−1 between 2006 Title Page and 2009. In the accumulation area both methods revealed no significant trend. The Abstract Introduction 15 trend in surface lowering derived by the statistical method allows an estimation of the mean mass balance in the period 2003–2009 assuming constant ice density and a lin- Conclusions References ear change of glacier surface lowering with altitude in the ablation area. The resulting Tables Figures mass balance was validated by a comparison to another geodetic approach based on the subtraction of two DEMs for the years 2000 and 2009. We conclude that ICESat J I 20 data is a valid source of information on surface elevation changes and on mass balance of mountain glaciers. J I Back Close 1 Introduction Full Screen / Esc Worldwide rapid retreat of mountain glaciers has been reported by numerous authors for the previous few decades (Lemke et al., 2007). Glaciers in the European Alps lost Printer-friendly Version 25 10–15 % of their volume in the first five years of this century (Haeberli et al., 2007). The retreat of mountain glaciers leads to shifts in the hydrological regime of many rivers Interactive Discussion 3262 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | (Huss et al., 2010) with consequences for hydro-power industry, irrigation schemes, river navigation etc. The increased glacier runoff is often mentioned in relation to sea TCD level rise which has been estimated at 1.8 ± 0.5 m in the 21st century (Raper and 7, 3261–3291, 2013 Braithwaite, 2005; Bindoff et al., 2007). Oscillation in ice volume, which depends on 5 both temperature and precipitation, contains a climate signal because surface lowering reacts faster to climate oscillation than glacier extent (Oerlemans, 2001). Distributed Estimation of volume measurements of glacier surface lowering are also essential for the parametrization of changes of mountain glacier run-off models (Huss et al., 2010). glaciers from ICESat Glacier volume changes are measured locally by physically demanding glaciologi- data 10 cal and hydrological methods. On the other hand, unbiased periodic measurements of space-born instruments can provide a regional overview about glacier volume changes J. Kropáček et al. by geodetic means. The ICESat mission, which was primarily dedicated to the obser- vation of polar ice sheets, provides a promising dataset for this purpose. ICESat data Title Page records were already utilized for the estimation of volume changes of mountain glaciers 15 for nearly inaccessible glaciers in the Himalayas (Kääb et al., 2012) using the Shuttle Abstract Introduction Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM as an elevation reference. Conclusions References 1.1 Objectives Tables Figures This study is focused on a single glacier with good accessibility and availability of detailed DEMs, reliable climate data and other auxiliary datasets. Here we compare J I 20 two methods to derive glacier elevation changes from ICESat data. The first method J I makes use of a reference DEM to which ICESat measurements are compared, while the second method utilizes only those parallel ICESat tracks that follow spatially sim- Back Close ilar ground tracks. For the first method we employed different elevation datasets and Full Screen / Esc analyzed their influence to the accuracy of the derived surface lowering rates. The de- 25 rived trends in surface elevation were validated by in-situ Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) measurements and the mass balance estimates were compared to Printer-friendly Version another method based on the subtraction of two DEMs. Further, we investigated the Interactive Discussion 3263 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | influence of topography and seasonal snow cover on the estimated surface elevation differences and their accuracy. TCD 1.2 Description of Aletsch Glacier 7, 3261–3291, 2013 Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher) is an ideal test site since it represents the Estimation of volume 5 largest ice mass in the Alps and it is the only large glacier in the Alps with a good cover- changes of mountain age of ICESat data. A rich archive of glaciological records and climate data date back glaciers from ICESat to 1846 when the first ablation measurements on this glacier were carried out. Aletsch data Glacier is located in the Bernese Alps in the central part of Switzerland. The accumu- lation area is on the southern slopes of the main mountain range, marked by the two J. Kropáček et al. 10 prominent summits more than four thousand meters high: Jungfrau and Mönch. The common tongue is formed by the confluence of three tributaries (Grosser Aletschfirn, Jungfraufirn and Ewig Schneefeld) at the so called Concordia. From here the glacier Title Page flows first towards the SE and turns to the SW in a smooth bow. Aletsch Glacier is the longest (22.6 km) and largest (81.7 km2) glacier in the European Alps and reaches an Abstract Introduction 15 ice thickness of 890 m in its central part (Thyssen et al., 1969). The glacier has been Conclusions References retreating since the Little Ice Age; its volume loss has been estimated to −4.8 × 109 m3 in the period from 1880 to 1999 (Bauder et al., 2007). Tables Figures J I 2 Data J I 2.1 ICESat/GLAS data Back Close 20 The GLAS on-board ICESat is a two channel instrument with a 1064 nm channel for Full Screen / Esc surface altimetry and dense cloud heights, and a 532 nm channel for the investigation of vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols. Measurements are acquired in nadir Printer-friendly Version every 172 m with a footprint diameter of 70 m (Schutz et al., 2005). The instrument was operational in the period 2003–2009. The launch of ICESat-2 with an improved Interactive Discussion 25 instrument is planned for early 2016. Data acquisitions were carried out every 3 to 6 3264 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | months during 18 one-month campaigns. In the ideal case of no cloud cover, each campaign typically resulted in one repeat-pass track for a glacier. In this study we TCD employed the ICESat/GLAS product L2 Global Land Surface Altimetry Data, release 7, 3261–3291, 2013 33 (Zwally et al., 2003) denoted as GLA14, provided by the National Snow & Ice Data 5 Center (NSIDC).
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