Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs
Quantifying historic changes in glacier size and mass balance is important for understanding how the cryosphere responds to climate variability and change. Airborne photogrammetry enables glacier extent and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) to be monitored for more glaciers at lower cost than tradit...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214301700079X/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155850245439488 |
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| author | LAUREN J. VARGO BRIAN M. ANDERSON HUW J. HORGAN ANDREW N. MACKINTOSH ANDREW M. LORREY MERIJN THORNTON |
| author_facet | LAUREN J. VARGO BRIAN M. ANDERSON HUW J. HORGAN ANDREW N. MACKINTOSH ANDREW M. LORREY MERIJN THORNTON |
| author_sort | LAUREN J. VARGO |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quantifying historic changes in glacier size and mass balance is important for understanding how the cryosphere responds to climate variability and change. Airborne photogrammetry enables glacier extent and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) to be monitored for more glaciers at lower cost than traditional mass-balance programs and other remote-sensing techniques. Since 1977, end-of-summer-snowlines, which are a proxy for annual ELAs, have been recorded for 50 glaciers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand using oblique aerial photographs. In this study, we use structure from motion photogrammetry to estimate the camera parameters, including position, for historic photographs, which we then use to measure glacier change. We apply this method to a small maritime New Zealand glacier (Brewster Glacier, 1670–2400 m a.s.l.) to derive annual ELA and length records between 1981 and 2017, and quantify the uncertainties associated with the method. Our length reconstruction shows largely continuous terminus retreat of 365 ± 12 m for Brewster Glacier since 1981. The ELA record, which compares well with glaciological mass-balance data measured between 2005 and 2015, shows pronounced interannual variability. Mean ELAs range from 1707 ± 6 to 2303 ± 5 m a.s.l., with the highest ELAs occurring in the last decade. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:40:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3cd5daccb4c24bd3b6831480abbd5d8a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:40:33Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3cd5daccb4c24bd3b6831480abbd5d8a2023-03-09T12:40:29ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522017-12-01631105111810.1017/jog.2017.79Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographsLAUREN J. VARGO0BRIAN M. ANDERSON1HUW J. HORGAN2ANDREW N. MACKINTOSH3ANDREW M. LORREY4MERIJN THORNTON5Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandAntarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandAntarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandAntarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, New ZealandAntarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandQuantifying historic changes in glacier size and mass balance is important for understanding how the cryosphere responds to climate variability and change. Airborne photogrammetry enables glacier extent and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) to be monitored for more glaciers at lower cost than traditional mass-balance programs and other remote-sensing techniques. Since 1977, end-of-summer-snowlines, which are a proxy for annual ELAs, have been recorded for 50 glaciers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand using oblique aerial photographs. In this study, we use structure from motion photogrammetry to estimate the camera parameters, including position, for historic photographs, which we then use to measure glacier change. We apply this method to a small maritime New Zealand glacier (Brewster Glacier, 1670–2400 m a.s.l.) to derive annual ELA and length records between 1981 and 2017, and quantify the uncertainties associated with the method. Our length reconstruction shows largely continuous terminus retreat of 365 ± 12 m for Brewster Glacier since 1981. The ELA record, which compares well with glaciological mass-balance data measured between 2005 and 2015, shows pronounced interannual variability. Mean ELAs range from 1707 ± 6 to 2303 ± 5 m a.s.l., with the highest ELAs occurring in the last decade.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214301700079X/type/journal_articleglacier fluctuationsglaciological instruments and methodsmass-balance reconstructionmountain glaciersremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | LAUREN J. VARGO BRIAN M. ANDERSON HUW J. HORGAN ANDREW N. MACKINTOSH ANDREW M. LORREY MERIJN THORNTON Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs Journal of Glaciology glacier fluctuations glaciological instruments and methods mass-balance reconstruction mountain glaciers remote sensing |
| title | Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| title_full | Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| title_fullStr | Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| title_short | Using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| title_sort | using structure from motion photogrammetry to measure past glacier changes from historic aerial photographs |
| topic | glacier fluctuations glaciological instruments and methods mass-balance reconstruction mountain glaciers remote sensing |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214301700079X/type/journal_article |
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