scholarly journals ICE VELOCITY MEASUREMENT IN EAST ANTARCTICA FROM 1960s TO 1980s BASED ON ARGON AND LANDSAT IMAGERY

Author(s):  
R. Li ◽  
X. Ma ◽  
Y. Cheng ◽  
W. Ye ◽  
S. Guo ◽  
...  

Ice flow velocity is a vital parameter for estimating the ice mass balance of glaciers in Antarctica. Especially long time serial observation of the surface velocity is of great significance to assessing the relationship between Antarctic ice materials and global climate change. However, the existing research on Antarctic ice velocity based on remote sensing data since 1970s due to the harsh climate in Antarctica. This paper presents an ice flow velocity estimating method includes image pre-processing, geometric model reconstruction, image ortho-rectification and feature matching by using ARGON images token in 1963 and Landsat images collected form 1973 to 1989.Considering the temporal-spatial distributions of ARGON images and Landsat images in Antarctica, two different methods respectively based on ortho-photos pair and Non-Ortho photos are adopted in this paper. More specifically, when there exist two stereo pairs taken in different time in the glacier region, after being ortho-rectified, the stereo pairs can be used to calculate ice flow velocity based on feature matching method. Otherwise, a parallax decomposition method that separates the effect of the terrain relief from the ice flow motion is applied when there only exists one stereo pair with a certain time interval. With this method, glacier surface velocity is available in the glacier region lacked enough stereo pairs. The methods mentioned above for estimating ice flow velocity are applied in Totten, Amery and Fimbul, etc. in eastern Antarctica. Furthermore, a 1960-80s ice flow speed map in the main glaciers of East Antarctica is produced for the first time.

Author(s):  
X. Li ◽  
R. Li ◽  
G. Qiao ◽  
Y. Cheng ◽  
W. Ye ◽  
...  

Ice flow velocity over long time series in East Antarctica plays a vital role in estimating and predicting the mass balance of Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea level rise. However, there is no Antarctic ice velocity product with large space scale available showing the East Antarctic ice flow velocity pattern before the 1990s. We proposed three methods including parallax decomposition, grid-based NCC image matching, feature and gird-based image matching with constraints for estimation of surface velocity in East Antarctica based on ARGON KH-5 and LANDSAT imagery, showing the feasibility of using historical optical imagery to obtain Antarctic ice motion. Based on these previous studies, we presented a set of systematic method for developing ice surface velocity product for the entire East Antarctica from the 1960s to the 1980s in this paper.


Author(s):  
Y. Cheng ◽  
X. Li ◽  
G. Qiao ◽  
W. Ye ◽  
Y. Huang ◽  
...  

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Long-time serial observation of surface ice flow velocity in Antarctic is a crucial component in estimating the mass balance of Antarctic ice sheet. However, there is a lack of historical continental scale velocity maps of Antarctica before the 1990s. Historical optical images such as ARGON and Landsat images before 1990s are difficult to be used for ice flow velocity mapping, due to the fact that they are mostly not strictly geo-processed (e.g., ortho-rectified) and the image quality is lower than those of recent sensors. This paper presents a systematic framework for developing a surface velocity map of East Antarctica from 1963 to 1989 based on historical ARGON and Landsat images, followed by analysis of spatial-temporal changes of the ice flow velocity in some major glaciers, as well as the dynamic changes. The preliminary comparison with existing products suggests that the glaciers in Wilkes Land experienced an increasing trend with obvious fluctuations during the past &amp;sim;50 years, while the glaciers near Transantarctic Mountains tended to be stable or slightly fluctuating to a certain degree.</p>


Author(s):  
S. Luo ◽  
Y. Cheng ◽  
Z. Li ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
K. Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Recent research indicates that the estimated elevation changes and associated mass balance in East Antarctica are of some degree of uncertainty; a light accumulation has occurred in its vast inland regions, while mass loss in Wilkes Land appears significant. It is necessary to study the mass change trend in the context of a long period of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). The input-output method based on surface ice flow velocity and ice thickness is one of the most important ways to estimate the mass balance, which can provide longer-term knowledge of mass balance because of the availability of the early satellites in 1960s. In this study, we briefly describe the method of extracting ice velocity based on the historical optical images from 1960s to 1980s. Based on the draft ice velocity map of the EAIS using this method, we conduct a series of validation experiments, including comparisons with in-situ measurement, existing historical maps and rock outcrop dataset. Finally, we use the input-output method to estimate mass balance in some regions of EAIS using the generated velocity map.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 636-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takehiro Fukuda ◽  
Shin Sugiyama ◽  
Takanobu Sawagaki ◽  
Kazuki Nakamura

AbstractTo improve the understanding of the mechanism driving recent changes in outlet glaciers in East Antarctica, we measured changes in the terminus position, ice flow velocity and surface elevation of the Langhovde Glacier located on the Sôya Coast. From satellite images from 2000–12 and field measurements taken in 2012 the glacier terminus position and flow velocity showed little change between 2003 and 2007. After this quiescent period, the glacier progressively advanced by 380 m and the flow velocity increased near the calving front by 10 m a-1 from 2007–10. No significant change was observed in surface elevation during the study period. The changes in the terminus position and flow velocity imply a reduction in the calving rate from 93 m a-1 (2003–07) to 16 m a-1 (2007–10). This suggests that calving was inhibited by stable sea ice conditions in the ocean. Theses results indicate that the Langhovde Glacier was in a relatively stable condition during the study period, and its terminus position was controlled by the rate of calving under the influence of sea ice conditions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (214) ◽  
pp. 315-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Richter ◽  
D.V. Fedorov ◽  
M. Fritsche ◽  
S.V. Popov ◽  
V.Ya. Lipenkov ◽  
...  

AbstractRepeated Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) observations were carried out at 50 surface markers in the Vostok Subglacial Lake (East Antarctica) region between 2001 and 2011. The horizontal ice flow velocity vectors were derived with accuracies of 1 cm a−1 and 0.5°, representing the first reliable information on ice flow kinematics in the northern part of the lake. Within the lake area, ice flow velocities do not exceed 2 m a−1. The ice flow azimuth is southeast in the southern part of the lake and turns gradually to east-northeast in the northern part. In the northern part, as the ice flow enters the lake at the western shore, the velocity decreases towards the central lake axis, then increases slightly past the central axis. In the southern part, a continued acceleration is observed from the central lake axis across the downstream grounding line. Based on the observed flow velocity vectors and ice thickness data, mean surface accumulation rates are inferred for four surface segments between Ridge B and Vostok Subglacial Lake and show a steady increase towards the north.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Hermoso de Mendoza ◽  
Jean-Claude Mareschal ◽  
Hugo Beltrami

Abstract. A one-dimensional (1-D) ice flow and heat conduction model is used to calculate the temperature and heat flux profiles in the ice and to constrain the parameters characterizing the ice flow and the thermal boundary conditions at the Dome C drilling site in East Antarctica. We use the reconstructions of ice accumulation, glacier height and air surface temperature histories as boundary conditions to calculate the ice temperature profile. The temperature profile also depends on a set of poorly known parameters, the ice velocity profile and magnitude, basal heat flux, and air-ice surfaces temperature coupling. We use Monte Carlo methods to search the parameters' space of the model, compare the model output with the temperature data, and find probability distributions for the unknown parameters. We could not determine the sliding ratio because it has no effect on the thermal profile, but we could constrain the flux function parameter p that determines the velocity profile. We determined the basal heat flux qb = 49.0  &amp;pm; 2.7 (2σ)m W m−2, almost equal to the apparent value. We found an ice surface velocity of vsur = 2.6 &amp;pm; 1.9 (2σ)m y−1 and an air-ice temperature coupling of 0.8 &amp;pm; 1.0(2σ)K. Our study confirms that the heat flux is low and does not destabilize the ice sheet in east Antarctica.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1401-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie G. P. Cavitte ◽  
Frédéric Parrenin ◽  
Catherine Ritz ◽  
Duncan A. Young ◽  
Brice Van Liefferinge ◽  
...  

Abstract. We reconstruct the pattern of surface accumulation in the region around Dome C, East Antarctica, since the last glacial. We use a set of 18 isochrones spanning all observable depths of the ice column, interpreted from various ice-penetrating radar surveys and a 1-D ice flow model to invert for accumulation rates in the region. The shallowest four isochrones are then used to calculate paleoaccumulation rates between isochrone pairs using a 1-D assumption where horizontal advection is negligible in the time interval of each layer. We observe that the large-scale (100s km) surface accumulation gradient is spatially stable through the last 73 kyr, which reflects current modeled and observed precipitation gradients in the region. We also observe small-scale (10 s km) accumulation variations linked to snow redistribution at the surface, due to changes in its slope and curvature in the prevailing wind direction that remain spatially stationary since the last glacial.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizz Ultee ◽  
Bryan Riel ◽  
Brent Minchew

&lt;p&gt;The rate of ice flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean depends on the ice flow velocity through outlet glaciers. Ice flow velocity, in turn, evolves in response to multiple geographic and environmental forcings at different timescales. For example, velocity may vary daily in response to ocean tides, seasonally in response to surface air temperature, and multi-annually in response to long-term trends in climate. The satellite observations processed as part of the NASA MEaSUREs Greenland Ice Sheet Velocity Map allow us to analyse variations in ice surface velocity at multiple timescales. Here, we decompose short-term and long-term signals in time-dependent velocity fields for Greenland outlet glaciers based on the methods of Riel et al. (2018). Patterns found in short-term signals can constrain basal sliding relations and ice rheology, while the longer-term signals hint at decadal in/stability of outlet glaciers. We present example velocity time series for outlets including Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbrae) and Helheim Glacier, and we highlight features indicative of dynamic drawdown or advective restabilization. Finally, we comment on the capabilities of a time series analysis software under development for glaciological applications.&lt;/p&gt;


2003 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Luckman ◽  
Tavi Murray ◽  
Hester Jiskoot ◽  
Hamish Pritchard ◽  
Tazio Strozzi

AbstractFeature tracking, or patch intensity cross-correlation, is used to derive two-dimensional ice-surface velocity fields from 1day and 35 day repeat-pass European Remote-sensing Satellite (ERS) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data covering a 500 km by 500 km area of central East Greenland. Over regions of fast ice flow, 35 day tracking yields only a slightly lower density of velocity measurements than 1day tracking, and both are broadly in agreement about the spatial pattern of ice velocity except at the glacier termini where tidal effects may dominate. This study suggests that SAR feature tracking may be used to routinely monitor ice-discharge velocities on a regional basis and thereby inform studies of regional mass balance.


1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (151) ◽  
pp. 575-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Martin Funk

AbstractThe kinematic boundary condition al the glacier surface can be used to give glacier mass balance at a point as a function of changes in the surface elevation, and of the horizontal and vertical velocities. Vertical velocity can in turn be estimated from basal slope, basal ice velocity and surface strain. In a pilot study on the tongue of Griesgletscher, Swiss Alps, the applicability of the relation for modelling area-wide ice flow and mass-balance distribution is tested. The key input of the calculations, i.e. the area-wide surface velocity field, is obtained using a newly developed photogrammetric technique. Ice thickness is derived from radar-echo soundings. Error estimates and comparisons with stake measurements show an average accuracy of approximately ±0.3 ma-1for the calculated vertical ice velocity at the surface and ±0.7 ma-1for the calculated mass balance. Due to photogrammetric restrictions and model-inherent sensitivities the applied model appeared to be most suitable for determining area-wide mass balance and ice flow on flat-lying ablation areas, but is so far not very well suited for steep ablation areas and most parts of accumulation areas. Nevertheless, the study on Griesgletscher opens a new and promising perspective for the monitoring of spatial and temporal glacier mass-balance variations.


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