Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China
The Mt.Tomur glaciers, in the Tian Shan mountains of Western China, are usually debris-covered, and due to climate change, glacial hazards are becoming more frequent in this region. However, no changes in the long-time series of glacier surface velocities have been observed in this region. Conductin...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/1/150 |
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| author | Changbin Bai Feiteng Wang Lin Wang Chunhai Xu Xiaoying Yue Shujing Yang Puyu Wang Yanqun Bi Haining Wei |
| author_facet | Changbin Bai Feiteng Wang Lin Wang Chunhai Xu Xiaoying Yue Shujing Yang Puyu Wang Yanqun Bi Haining Wei |
| author_sort | Changbin Bai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Mt.Tomur glaciers, in the Tian Shan mountains of Western China, are usually debris-covered, and due to climate change, glacial hazards are becoming more frequent in this region. However, no changes in the long-time series of glacier surface velocities have been observed in this region. Conducting field measurements in high-altitude mountains is relatively difficult, and consequently, the dynamics and driving factors are less studied. Here, image-correlation offset tracking using Landsat images was exploited to estimate the glacier surface velocity of glaciers in the Mt.Tomur region from 2000 to 2020 and to assess glacier ice thickness. The results show that the glacier surface velocity in the Mt.Tomur region showed a significant slowdown during 2000–2020, from 6.71 ± 0.66 m a<sup>−1</sup> to 3.95 ± 0.66 m a<sup>−1</sup>, an overall decrease of 41.13%. The maximum glacier ice thickness in the Mt.Tomur region was estimated based on the ice flow principle being 171.27 ± 17.10 m, and the glacier average thickness is 50.00 ± 5.0 m. Glacier thickness at first increases with increasing altitude, showing more than 100 ± 10 m ice thickness between 3400 m and 4300 m, and then decreases with further increases in altitude. The reliability of the surface velocity and ice thickness obtained from remote sensing was proved using the measured surface velocity and ice thickness of Qingbingtan glacier No. 72 stall (the correlation coefficient R<sup>2</sup> > 0.85). The debris cover has an overall mitigating effect on the ablation and movement rate of Qingbingtan Glacier No. 72; however, it has an accelerating effect on the ablation and movement rate of glacier No. 74. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:41:40Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:41:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-62ebda73cad948d3a59d10cf2355bb8a2023-12-02T00:51:15ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-12-0115115010.3390/rs15010150Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, ChinaChangbin Bai0Feiteng Wang1Lin Wang2Chunhai Xu3Xiaoying Yue4Shujing Yang5Puyu Wang6Yanqun Bi7Haining Wei8State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaGuangxi Water & Power Design Institute Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, ChinaGuangxi Water & Power Design Institute Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, ChinaThe Mt.Tomur glaciers, in the Tian Shan mountains of Western China, are usually debris-covered, and due to climate change, glacial hazards are becoming more frequent in this region. However, no changes in the long-time series of glacier surface velocities have been observed in this region. Conducting field measurements in high-altitude mountains is relatively difficult, and consequently, the dynamics and driving factors are less studied. Here, image-correlation offset tracking using Landsat images was exploited to estimate the glacier surface velocity of glaciers in the Mt.Tomur region from 2000 to 2020 and to assess glacier ice thickness. The results show that the glacier surface velocity in the Mt.Tomur region showed a significant slowdown during 2000–2020, from 6.71 ± 0.66 m a<sup>−1</sup> to 3.95 ± 0.66 m a<sup>−1</sup>, an overall decrease of 41.13%. The maximum glacier ice thickness in the Mt.Tomur region was estimated based on the ice flow principle being 171.27 ± 17.10 m, and the glacier average thickness is 50.00 ± 5.0 m. Glacier thickness at first increases with increasing altitude, showing more than 100 ± 10 m ice thickness between 3400 m and 4300 m, and then decreases with further increases in altitude. The reliability of the surface velocity and ice thickness obtained from remote sensing was proved using the measured surface velocity and ice thickness of Qingbingtan glacier No. 72 stall (the correlation coefficient R<sup>2</sup> > 0.85). The debris cover has an overall mitigating effect on the ablation and movement rate of Qingbingtan Glacier No. 72; however, it has an accelerating effect on the ablation and movement rate of glacier No. 74.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/1/150Mt.Tomur glaciersglacier surface velocityglacier ice thickness |
| spellingShingle | Changbin Bai Feiteng Wang Lin Wang Chunhai Xu Xiaoying Yue Shujing Yang Puyu Wang Yanqun Bi Haining Wei Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China Remote Sensing Mt.Tomur glaciers glacier surface velocity glacier ice thickness |
| title | Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China |
| title_full | Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China |
| title_short | Dynamic Monitoring of Debris-Covered Glacier Surface Velocity and Ice Thickness of Mt.Tomur, Tian Shan, China |
| title_sort | dynamic monitoring of debris covered glacier surface velocity and ice thickness of mt tomur tian shan china |
| topic | Mt.Tomur glaciers glacier surface velocity glacier ice thickness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/1/150 |
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