Impact of spatial, spectral, and radiometric properties of multispectral imagers on glacier surface classification

Pope, Allen; Rees, Gareth

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2013.08.028

Cited by 46 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Also these offsets should typically not affect ice and snow mapping, but might become visible in some segmentation or classification products. The high dynamic range and radiometric resolution of Sentinel-2A are of great benefit for snow and ice studies [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier Remote Sensing Using Sentinel-2. Part I: Radiometric and Geometric Performance, and Application to Ice Velocity

et al. 2016

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Abstract:With its temporal resolution of 10 days (five days with two satellites, and significantly more at high latitudes), its swath width of 290 km, and its 10 m and 20 m spatial resolution bands from the visible to the shortwave infrared, the European Sentinel-2 satellites have significant potential for glacier remote sensing, in particular mapping of glacier outlines and facies, and velocity measurements. Testing Level 1C commissioning and ramp-up phase data for initial sensor quality experiences, we find a high radiometric performance, but with slight striping effects under certain conditions. Through co-registration of repeat Sentinal-2 data we also find lateral offset patterns and noise on the order of a few metres. Neither of these issues will complicate most typical glaciological applications. Absolute geo-location of the data investigated was on the order of one pixel at the time of writing. The most severe geometric problem stems from vertical errors of the DEM used for ortho-rectifying Sentinel-2 data. These errors propagate into locally varying lateral offsets in the images, up to several pixels with respect to other georeferenced data, or between Sentinel-2 data from different orbits. Finally, we characterize the potential and limitations of tracking glacier flow from repeat Sentinel-2 data using a set of typical glaciers in different environments: Aletsch Glacier, Swiss Alps; Fox Glacier, New Zealand; Jakobshavn Isbree, Greenland; Antarctic Peninsula at the Larsen C ice shelf.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier Remote Sensing Using Sentinel-2. Part I: Radiometric and Geometric Performance, and Application to Ice Velocity

et al. 2016

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“…Comparisons between images and topographic base maps (± 20 m) from the Canadian National Topographic Database show that the original image georeferencing was accurate within one pixel (Landsat TM/ETM/OLI: < 30 m, MSS: < 80 m). Images were clipped and composited in PCI Geomatica™ to cover a smaller area, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on each image's bands (e.g., four bands for Landsat 1, seven bands for Landsat 5, 7, and 8) to reduce the dimensionality of the input images while retaining most of their spectral information (e.g., Pope and Rees, 2014). The first three principal components (PCs) accounted for more than 97% of the variance in the input data, and the first PC typically accounted for less than 90% of the total variance.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidecadal Recession of Grinnell and Terra Nivea Ice Caps, Baffin Island, Canada

Way¹

2015

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. Multi-temporal satellite imagery and historical aerial photography reveal that two southern Arctic ice caps on Baffin Island have shrunk considerably over the past several decades. Satellite remote sensing shows that over the past three decades, the Grinnell and Terra Nivea ice caps, the southernmost ice caps in the eastern Canadian Arctic, have decreased in area by 18% and 22% respectively, which corresponds to a total area decline of 68 km 2 since mapping done in the late 1950s. Cumulative ice loss since the mid-1970s has occurred at a rate of −1.69 km 2 /yr. The Grinnell ice cap has declined in area by −0.57 km 2 /yr, while the larger Terra Nivea ice cap has lost ice at a rate of −1.1 km 2 /yr. Interior thinning has led to the exposure of nunataks far from ice margins, and outlet glaciers have retreated substantial distances up-valley. The rapid reduction in ice area is linked directly to increasing summer air temperatures and suggests that these ice caps are in disequilibrium with recent climate conditions. Projections suggest that if the observed ice decline continues to AD 2100, the total area covered by ice at present will be reduced by more than 57%.Key words: glaciology; glacier change; climate; Grinnell and Terra Nivea ice caps; Baffin Island RÉSUMÉ. L'imagerie satellitaire multitemporelle et la photographie aérienne historique révèlent que deux calottes glaciaires du sud de l'Arctique, dans l'île de Baffin, ont rétréci considérablement au cours des dernières décennies. La télédétection par satellite montre qu'au cours des trois dernières décennies, l'étendue des calottes glaciaires Grinnell et Terra Nivea, soit les calottes glaciaires les plus au sud de l'Arctique canadien de l'est, a diminué dans une mesure de 18 % et de 22 % respectivement, ce qui correspond à un déclin total de l'étendue de 68 km 2 depuis que la cartographie a été effectuée vers la fin des années 1950. Depuis le milieu des années 1970, la perte cumulative de glace s'est produite au taux de −1,69 km 2 /an. L'étendue de la calotte glaciaire Grinnell a diminué de −0,57 km 2 /an, tandis que la calotte glaciaire Terra Nivea, dont l'étendue est plus grande, a enregistré une perte de glace de l'ordre de −1,1 km 2 /an. L'amincissement intérieur a donné lieu à l'exposition de nunataks loin des marges glaciaires, et les glaciers émissaires ont reculé sur d'importantes distances en amont de la vallée. La réduction rapide de l'étendue de la glace est directement liée à l'augmentation de la température de l'air d'été, ce qui suggère que ces calottes glaciaires sont en déséquilibre par rapport aux conditions climatiques récentes. Selon les projections, si la réduction observée de la glace se poursuit jusqu'en l'an 2100 A.D., l'étendue totale actuellement couverte par la glace diminuera de plus de 57 %.

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“…Albedo of ice and snow is influenced by surface properties such as grain size, presence of water, impurity content, surface roughness, crystal orientation and structure (e.g., [5]). In particular, there is a contrast and wavelength dependency of broadband spectral albedo between 400-2500 nm for different glacier facies and surface materials [6][7][8]. An operational broadband albedo product tailored for mountain glaciers is, however, still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-Comparison of Albedo Products for Glacier Surfaces Derived from Airborne and Satellite (Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8) Optical Data

et al. 2017

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Surface albedo partitions the amount of energy received by glacier surfaces from shortwave fluxes and modulates the energy available for melt processes. The ice-albedo feedback, influenced by the contamination of bare-ice surfaces with light-absorbing impurities, plays a major role in the melting of mountain glaciers in a warming climate. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal distribution and variability of bare-ice glacier surface albedo under changing conditions. In this study, we focus on two mountain glaciers located in the western Swiss Alps and perform a cross-comparison of different albedo products. We take advantage of high spectral and spatial resolution (284 bands, 2 m) imaging spectrometer data from the Airborne Prism Experiment (APEX) and investigate the applicability and potential of Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 data to derive broadband albedo products. The performance of shortwave broadband albedo retrievals is tested and we assess the reliability of published narrow-to-broadband conversion algorithms. The resulting albedo products from the three sensors and different algorithms are further cross-compared. Moreover, the impact of the anisotropy correction is analysed depending on different surface types. While degradation of the spectral resolution impacted glacier-wide mean albedo by about 5%, reducing the spatial resolution resulted in changes of less than 1%. However, in any case, coarser spatial resolution was no longer able to represent small-scale variability of albedo on glacier surfaces. We discuss the implications when using Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 to map dynamic glaciological processes and to monitor glacier surface albedo on larger spatial and more frequent temporal scales.

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Impact of spatial, spectral, and radiometric properties of multispectral imagers on glacier surface classification

Cited by 46 publications

References 75 publications

Glacier Remote Sensing Using Sentinel-2. Part I: Radiometric and Geometric Performance, and Application to Ice Velocity

Glacier Remote Sensing Using Sentinel-2. Part I: Radiometric and Geometric Performance, and Application to Ice Velocity

Multidecadal Recession of Grinnell and Terra Nivea Ice Caps, Baffin Island, Canada

Cross-Comparison of Albedo Products for Glacier Surfaces Derived from Airborne and Satellite (Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8) Optical Data

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