Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain
Glacier retreat is a common phenomenon in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) with global warming during the past several decades, except for several mountains, such as the glaciers in the Karakoram and the western Kunlun Mountains. The dynamic nature of glaciers significantly influences the hydrologi...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/20/3280 |
| _version_ | 1797551518559240192 |
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| author | Yanjun Che Shijin Wang Shuhua Yi Yanqiang Wei Yancong Cai |
| author_facet | Yanjun Che Shijin Wang Shuhua Yi Yanqiang Wei Yancong Cai |
| author_sort | Yanjun Che |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glacier retreat is a common phenomenon in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) with global warming during the past several decades, except for several mountains, such as the glaciers in the Karakoram and the western Kunlun Mountains. The dynamic nature of glaciers significantly influences the hydrologic, geologic, and ecological systems in the mountain regions. The sensitivity and dynamic response to climate change make glaciers excellent indicators of regional and global climate change, such as glacier melting and retreat with the rise of local air temperature. Long-term monitoring of glacier change is important to understand and assess past, current, and possible future climate environments. Some glacier surfaces are safe and accessible by foot, and are monitored using mass balance stakes and snow pits. Meanwhile, some glaciers with inaccessible termini may be surveyed using satellite remote images and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Those inaccessible glaciers are generally covered by debris in the southeast QTP, which is hardly accessible due to the wide distribution of crevasses and cliffs. In this paper, we used the UAV to monitor the dynamic features of mass balance and velocity of the debris-covered region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1 (BRG1) on the Yulong Snow Mountain (YSM), Southeast QTP. We obtained the Orthomosaic and DEM with a high resolution of 0.10 m on 20 May and 22 September 2018, respectively. The comparison showed that the elevation of the debris-covered region of the BRG1 decreased by 6.58 m ± 3.70 m on average, and the mean mass balance was −5.92 m w.e. ± 3.33 m w.e. during the summer, correspondingly. The mean displacement of debris-covered glacier surface was 18.30 m ± 6.27 m, that is, the mean daily velocity was 0.14 m/d ± 0.05 m/d during the summer. In addition, the UAV images not only revealed the different patterns of glacier melting and displacement but also captured the phenomena of mass loss due to ice avalanches at the glacier front and the development of large crevasses. This study provides a feasible method for understanding the dynamic features of global debris-covered glaciers which are inaccessible and unobservable by other means. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:46:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfc3a711b8b14df5ae2e345432b3107d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:46:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfc3a711b8b14df5ae2e345432b3107d2023-11-20T16:28:38ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922020-10-011220328010.3390/rs12203280Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow MountainYanjun Che0Shijin Wang1Shuhua Yi2Yanqiang Wei3Yancong Cai4Department of Geography Science, Yichun University, Yichun 336000, ChinaYulong Snow Mountain Glacier and Environment Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaSchool of Geographic Science, Nantong University, Nantong 226000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaSouth China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Key Laboratory of Open-Sea Fishery Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510300, ChinaGlacier retreat is a common phenomenon in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) with global warming during the past several decades, except for several mountains, such as the glaciers in the Karakoram and the western Kunlun Mountains. The dynamic nature of glaciers significantly influences the hydrologic, geologic, and ecological systems in the mountain regions. The sensitivity and dynamic response to climate change make glaciers excellent indicators of regional and global climate change, such as glacier melting and retreat with the rise of local air temperature. Long-term monitoring of glacier change is important to understand and assess past, current, and possible future climate environments. Some glacier surfaces are safe and accessible by foot, and are monitored using mass balance stakes and snow pits. Meanwhile, some glaciers with inaccessible termini may be surveyed using satellite remote images and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Those inaccessible glaciers are generally covered by debris in the southeast QTP, which is hardly accessible due to the wide distribution of crevasses and cliffs. In this paper, we used the UAV to monitor the dynamic features of mass balance and velocity of the debris-covered region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1 (BRG1) on the Yulong Snow Mountain (YSM), Southeast QTP. We obtained the Orthomosaic and DEM with a high resolution of 0.10 m on 20 May and 22 September 2018, respectively. The comparison showed that the elevation of the debris-covered region of the BRG1 decreased by 6.58 m ± 3.70 m on average, and the mean mass balance was −5.92 m w.e. ± 3.33 m w.e. during the summer, correspondingly. The mean displacement of debris-covered glacier surface was 18.30 m ± 6.27 m, that is, the mean daily velocity was 0.14 m/d ± 0.05 m/d during the summer. In addition, the UAV images not only revealed the different patterns of glacier melting and displacement but also captured the phenomena of mass loss due to ice avalanches at the glacier front and the development of large crevasses. This study provides a feasible method for understanding the dynamic features of global debris-covered glaciers which are inaccessible and unobservable by other means.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/20/3280unmanned aerial vehiclemass balancesurface velocityglacier |
| spellingShingle | Yanjun Che Shijin Wang Shuhua Yi Yanqiang Wei Yancong Cai Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain Remote Sensing unmanned aerial vehicle mass balance surface velocity glacier |
| title | Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain |
| title_full | Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain |
| title_fullStr | Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain |
| title_short | Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain |
| title_sort | summer mass balance and surface velocity derived by unmanned aerial vehicle on debris covered region of baishui river glacier no 1 yulong snow mountain |
| topic | unmanned aerial vehicle mass balance surface velocity glacier |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/20/3280 |
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