Remote Sensing Based Approaches to Enable Process-based Glacier Studies in Canada

基于遥感的方法使加拿大能够进行基于过程的冰川研究

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02443
• 负责人: VanWychen, Wesley
• 金额: $ 2.55万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754892
• 关键词: Remote; Sensing; Based; Approaches; Enable

Characterizing how glaciers are responding to climate change is of paramount importance both at global and local scales. Globally, measuring how glaciers evolve in terms of size, shape, distribution, and flow is critical for making accurate projections of future global sea level rise. Locally, understanding glacier change is necessary to determine the viability of these reservoirs as long-term resources for downstream communities. Taken together, accurately measuring and understanding the processes that are driving glacier change is necessary to provide policy-makers with the best information possible so that they can make appropriate decisions related to future infrastructure in low-lying areas (especially in terms of site selection and costs) and determining the best course of action for communities at risk of water scarcity. The long-term objectives of this research program directly address these issues with the goal of using satellite imagery to provide a national assessment of how glaciers in Canada are changing and identify the important processes that are causing these changes. Over the next five years, this research program will undertake three major objectives to contribute to this long-term goal. These objectives are to; 1) use historical and new satellite data to provide a baseline understanding of glacier motion for all regions of Canada (which can be used to detect change), 2) leverage the available record of satellite imagery in new ways such that the seasonality of glacier flow can be established, and 3) use newly released glacier height datasets to accurately measure how the size of glaciers is changing. Graduate students will contribute to all aspects of this research program and will contribute to one (or more) of the identified objectives. As students work on their assignments they will receive valuable in-demand training in image processing techniques, data management, critical thinking, and communication skills. As such, they will be prepared to enter the workforce as environmental and physical scientists in the knowledge-based economy or continue their studies in academia. Overall, the research program outlined is transformative for Canada, pushing our national understanding of glacier change from the patchwork approach that has been used in the past to a system of regional understanding that is rapidly delivered to end-users to empower decision-making. Tangibly, the outcomes of this research program will be shared with Government of Canada partners (e.g., Geological Survey of Canada) to further enable their monitoring activities and ensures that this research makes practical contributions to society. Finally, the glacier processes identified by this research may also provide insights into the processes occurring in other locations, especially the large ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica which will be the primary drivers of global sea level rise going forward.

确定冰川对气候变化的反应在全球和地方范围内都至关重要。在全球范围内，测量冰川的大小、形状、分布和流量如何演变对于准确预测未来全球海平面上升至关重要。在当地，了解冰川变化是必要的，以确定这些水库作为下游社区的长期资源的可行性。总之，准确测量和了解冰川变化的驱动过程是必要的，可以为决策者提供尽可能好的信息，使他们能够就低洼地区未来的基础设施（特别是在选址和成本方面）做出适当的决定，并为面临缺水风险的社区确定最佳行动方案。 该研究计划的长期目标直接解决这些问题，目标是利用卫星图像对加拿大冰川的变化进行国家评估，并确定导致这些变化的重要过程。在未来五年内，该研究计划将实现三大目标，为实现这一长期目标做出贡献。这些目标是：1）使用历史和新的卫星数据，为加拿大所有地区提供冰川运动的基线了解（可用于检测变化），2）以新的方式利用现有的卫星图像记录，以便建立冰川流动的季节性，以及3）使用新发布的冰川高度数据集，以准确测量冰川的大小如何变化。研究生将有助于本研究计划的各个方面，并将有助于一个（或多个）确定的目标。当学生完成作业时，他们将获得图像处理技术，数据管理，批判性思维和沟通技巧方面的宝贵培训。因此，他们将准备进入劳动力作为环境和物理科学家在知识型经济或继续在学术界的研究。总的来说，概述的研究计划对加拿大来说是变革性的，将我们国家对冰川变化的理解从过去使用的拼凑方法推向了一个快速交付给最终用户以增强决策能力的区域理解系统。实际上，这项研究计划的成果将与加拿大政府的合作伙伴分享（例如，加拿大地质调查局），以进一步使他们的监测活动，并确保这项研究作出实际贡献的社会。最后，这项研究确定的冰川过程也可能为其他地区发生的过程提供见解，特别是格陵兰岛和南极洲的大冰盖，它们将成为未来全球海平面上升的主要驱动力。