Recent volume loss of British Columbian glaciers, Canada

Schiefer, Erik; Menounos, Brian; Wheate, Roger

doi:10.1029/2007gl030780

Cited by 159 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…We use the SRTM3, V2 without void filling (NASA et al, 2002). Many glacier elevation change studies have used this as a base dataset to compare to both newer and older data products (Rignot et al, 2003;Berthier et al, 2004;Larsen et al, 2007;Schiefer et al, 2007;Paul and Haeberli, 2008). Typically reported vertical uncertainties of the dataset are ≈ ±10 m which is lower than the mission standards of ±16 m (Rodriguez et al, 2006).…”

Section: Interferometric Srtm Demmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change

2011

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Abstract.There are an increasing number of digital elevation models (DEMs) available worldwide for deriving elevation differences over time, including vertical changes on glaciers. Most of these DEMs are heavily post-processed or merged, so that physical error modelling becomes difficult and statistical error modelling is required instead. We propose a three-step methodological framework for assessing and correcting DEMs to quantify glacier elevation changes: (i) remove DEM shifts, (ii) check for elevation-dependent biases, and (iii) check for higher-order, sensor-specific biases. A simple, analytic and robust method to co-register elevation data is presented in regions where stable terrain is either plentiful (case study New Zealand) or limited (case study Svalbard). The method is demonstrated using the three global elevation data sets available to date, SRTM, ICESat and the ASTER GDEM, and with automatically generated DEMs from satellite stereo instruments of ASTER and SPOT5-HRS. After 3-D co-registration, significant biases related to elevation were found in some of the stereoscopic DEMs. Biases related to the satellite acquisition geometry (along/cross track) were detected at two frequencies in the automatically generated ASTER DEMs. The higher frequency bias seems to be related to satellite jitter, most apparent in the backlooking pass of the satellite. The origins of the more significant lower frequency bias is uncertain. ICESat-derived elevations are found to be the most consistent globally available elevation data set available so far. Before performing regional-scale glacier elevation change studies or mosaicking DEMs from multiple individual tiles (e.g. ASTER GDEM), we recommend to co-register all elevation data to ICESat as a global vertical reference system.

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Section: Interferometric Srtm Demmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change

2011

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“…This void-free SRTM version has been used in numerous glaciological studies, mainly related to the assessment of ice volume variations with time (e.g. Surazakov and Aizen, 2006;Berthier et al, 2007;Schiefer et al, 2007;Paul & Haeberli, 2008). The dataset is available in 5 by 5 degree tiles; tile 'srtm_52_06' covers the entire study region and was used here.…”

Section: Digital Elevation Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compilation of a glacier inventory for the western Himalayas from satellite data: methods, challenges, and results

Frey

Paul

Strozzi

2012

Remote Sensing of Environment

211

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Due to their sensitive reaction to changes in climatic conditions, glaciers have been selected as an essential climate variable (ECV). Although a large amount of ice is located in the Himalayas, this region is yet only sparsely represented in global glacier databases. Accordingly, a sound and comprehensive change assessment or determination of water resources was not yet possible. In this study, we present a new glacier inventory for the western Himalayas, compiled from Landsat ETM+ scenes acquired between 2000 and 2002, coherence images from ALOS PALSAR image pairs, the SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) and the ASTER Global DEM (GDEM). Several specific challenges for glacier mapping were found in this region and addressed. They are related to debris cover, orographic clouds, locally variable snow conditions, and creeping permafrost features in cold-dry regions. Additional to seven topographic parameters that are obtained from the ASTER GDEM for each glacier, we also determined the relative amount of debris cover on the glacier surface. The inventory contains 11,400 glaciers larger than 0.02 km2, which cover a total area of 9,310 km2. Analysis of the inventory data revealed characteristic patterns of mean glacier elevation and relative debris cover amounts that might be related to the governing climatic conditions. The full dataset will be freely available in the GLIMS glacier database to foster further analyses and modeling of the glaciers in this region. AbstractDue to their sensitive reaction to changes in climatic conditions, glaciers have been selected as an essential climate variable (ECV). Although a large amount of ice is located in the Himalayas, this region is yet only sparsely represented in global glacier databases. Accordingly, a sound and comprehensive change assessment or determination of water resources was not yet possible. In this study, we present a new glacier inventory for the western Himalayas, compiled from Landsat ETM+ scenes acquired between 2000 and 2002, coherence images from ALOS PALSAR image pairs, the SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) and the ASTER Global DEM (GDEM). Several specific challenges for glacier mapping were found in this region and addressed. They are related to debris cover, orographic clouds, locally variable snow conditions, and creeping permafrost features in cold-dry regions. Additional to seven topographic parameters that are obtained from the ASTER GDEM for each glacier, we also determined the relative amount of debris cover on the glacier surface. The inventory contains 11,400 glaciers larger than 0.02 km 2 , which cover a total area of 9,310 km 2 . Analysis of the inventory data revealed characteristic patterns of mean glacier elevation and relative debris cover amounts that might be related to the governing climatic conditions. The full dataset will be freely available in the GLIMS glacier database to foster further analyses and modeling of the glaciers in this region.

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“…Using SPOT and SRTM DEMs (Table 4), icefield geodetic balances were computed following the methods of Schiefer et al (2007) and Tennant et al (2012). For each icefield, SPOT and SRTM DEMs were reprojected to BC Albers and resampled to a 90 m resolution.…”

Section: Regional Glacier Mass Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In western North America, notable area and volume loss of glaciers (Larsen et al, 2007;Schiefer et al, 2007;Berthier et al, 2010;Bolch et al, 2010) and decreased late-summer flows in glacier-fed rivers (Stahl and Moore, 2006;Moore et al, 2009) have already been observed. On annual timescales, surface runoff in glacierized basins is affected by glacier mass change (Moore and Demuth, 2001) which supplements streamflow in years with thin snowpack or dry summers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, regional glacier mass change can be estimated from (a) groundbased measurements (Radić and Hock, 2010), (b) anomalies in regional gravity fields (Arendt et al, 2009;Jacob et al, 2012), (c) empirical models (Radić and Hock, 2011), (d) distributed mass balance models (Machguth et al, 2009), and (e) geodetic measurements (Schiefer et al, 2007;Tennant et al, 2012). However, these approaches may be limited in terms of either spatial or temporal resolution, or both.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An approach to derive regional snow lines and glacier mass change from MODIS imagery, western North America

et al. 2013

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Abstract. We describe a method to calculate regional snow line elevations and annual equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) from daily MODIS imagery (MOD02QKM) on large glaciers and icefields in western North America. An automated cluster analysis of the cloud-masked visible and near-infrared bands at 250 m resolution is used to delineate glacier facies (snow and ice) for ten glacierized regions between 2000-2011. For each region and season, the maximum observed value of the 20th percentile of snowcovered pixels (Z S(20) ) is used to define a regional ELA proxy (ELA est ). Our results indicate significant increases in the regional ELA proxy at two continental sites (Peyto Glacier and Gulkana Glacier) over the period of observation, though no statistically significant trends are identified at other sites. To evaluate the utility of regional ELA proxies derived from MOD02QKM imagery, we compare standard geodetic estimates of glacier mass change with estimates derived from historical mass balance gradients and observations of Z S(20) at three large icefields. Our approach yields estimates of mass change that more negative than traditional geodetic approaches, though MODIS-derived estimates are within the margins of error at all three sites. Both estimates of glacier mass change corroborate the continued mass loss of glaciers in western North America. Between 2000 and 2009, the geodetic change approach yields mean annual rates of surface elevation change for the Columbia, Lillooet, and Sittakanay icefields of −0.29 ± 0.05, −0.26 ± 0.05, and −0.63 ± 0.17 m a −1 , respectively. This study provides a new technique for glacier facies detection at daily timescales, and contributes to the development of regional estimates of glacier mass change, both of which are critical for studies of glacier contributions to streamflow and global sea level rise.

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Recent volume loss of British Columbian glaciers, Canada

Abstract: [1] We use the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data and digital terrain models from aerial photography to quantify the change of glacier volume in British Columbia (BC), Canada for the period 1985 -1999 ) is approximately double that observed for the previous two decades.

Cited by 159 publications

References 13 publications

Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change

Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change

Compilation of a glacier inventory for the western Himalayas from satellite data: methods, challenges, and results

An approach to derive regional snow lines and glacier mass change from MODIS imagery, western North America

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