EAGER: Estimating Glacier Volume Change from Satellite Imagery

该奖项支持对高分辨率卫星立体图像与历史地形图相结合的可行性进行调查，以估计南极冰盖周围高山冰川的体积变化。南极洲冰川质量损失（不包括冰盖）的贡献尚不清楚。然而，模型表明，全球范围内冰川和冰盖融化导致的海平面上升的观测值和估价值之间有39%的差距是由它造成的。卫星分辨率（亚米级）的最新进展与最新可用的摄影测量软件相结合，可以在没有地面控制点的情况下构建数字高程模型，这可能为评估偏远地区冰川体积变化提供一种具有成本效益的方法。其基本思想是从基于历史地图的地形中减去基于卫星图像的当前地形（数字高程模型），从而提供高程变化，从而提供冰川体积。不确定性来源于基岩暴露的视高差。如果成功，这一应用将成为定量估计南极洲周围偏远地区冰质量损失的有力工具，并显著提高估计冰川对海平面上升贡献的准确性。这种方法提出了几个挑战，证明了EAGER计划的正当性：1)南极沿海许多地区典型的多云天气阻碍了图像获取；2)构建具有足够精度的dem以检测变化；3)获得准确的历史地形图。

1153140/FountainThis award supports an investigation into the feasibility of using high-resolution satellite stereo imagery in combination with historic topographic maps to estimate volume change of alpine glaciers around the perimeter of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The contribution of glacier mass loss in Antarctica (exclusive of the ice sheet) is not well known. However, modeling suggests that it accounts for the 39% gap between observed and estimated sea level rise from the world-wide melting of glaciers and ice caps. The combination of recent advances in satellite resolution (sub-meter) and newly available photogrammetric software that can construct digital elevation models without ground control points potentially provides a cost-effective approach for evaluating glacier volume change in remote regions. The fundamental idea is to subtract the current topography (digital elevation model) based on satellite imagery from the topography based on historic maps thus providing changes in elevation and consequently glacier volume. Uncertainty is derived from on the apparent elevation differences of bedrock exposures. If successful, this application will be a powerful tool to quantitatively estimate ice mass loss in remote regions around Antarctica and significantly increase the accuracy of estimated glacier contributions to sea level rise. Several challenges are posed by this approach that justifies the EAGER program: 1) typically cloudy weather in many areas along the Antarctic coast that precludes imagery acquisition; 2) construction of DEMs of sufficient accuracy to detect change; and 3) availability of accurate historic topographic maps.