Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery
Small mountain glaciers are an important part of the cryosphere and tend to respond rapidly to climate warming. Historically, mapping very small glaciers (generally considered to be <0.5 km2) using satellite imagery has often been subjective due to the difficulty in differentiating them from pere...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000509/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155838193106944 |
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| author | J. R. Leigh C. R. Stokes R. J. Carr I. S. Evans L. M. Andreassen D. J. A. Evans |
| author_facet | J. R. Leigh C. R. Stokes R. J. Carr I. S. Evans L. M. Andreassen D. J. A. Evans |
| author_sort | J. R. Leigh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Small mountain glaciers are an important part of the cryosphere and tend to respond rapidly to climate warming. Historically, mapping very small glaciers (generally considered to be <0.5 km2) using satellite imagery has often been subjective due to the difficulty in differentiating them from perennial snowpatches. For this reason, most scientists implement minimum size-thresholds (typically 0.01–0.05 km2). Here, we compare the ability of different remote-sensing approaches to identify and map very small glaciers on imagery of varying spatial resolutions (30–0.25 m) and investigate how operator subjectivity influences the results. Based on this analysis, we support the use of a minimum size-threshold of 0.01 km2 for imagery with coarse to medium spatial resolution (30–10 m). However, when mapping on high-resolution imagery (<1 m) with minimal seasonal snow cover, glaciers <0.05 km2 and even <0.01 km2 are readily identifiable and using a minimum threshold may be inappropriate. For these cases, we develop a set of criteria to enable the identification of very small glaciers and classify them as certain, probable or possible. This should facilitate a more consistent approach to identifying and mapping very small glaciers on high-resolution imagery, helping to produce more comprehensive and accurate glacier inventories. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd5c494342e54d68a501ee8545c72c69 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd5c494342e54d68a501ee8545c72c692023-03-09T12:40:49ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522019-12-016587388810.1017/jog.2019.50Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imageryJ. R. Leigh0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2719-9748C. R. Stokes1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3355-1573R. J. Carr2I. S. Evans3L. M. Andreassen4D. J. A. Evans5Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UKDepartment of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UKSchool of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKDepartment of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UKNorwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UKSmall mountain glaciers are an important part of the cryosphere and tend to respond rapidly to climate warming. Historically, mapping very small glaciers (generally considered to be <0.5 km2) using satellite imagery has often been subjective due to the difficulty in differentiating them from perennial snowpatches. For this reason, most scientists implement minimum size-thresholds (typically 0.01–0.05 km2). Here, we compare the ability of different remote-sensing approaches to identify and map very small glaciers on imagery of varying spatial resolutions (30–0.25 m) and investigate how operator subjectivity influences the results. Based on this analysis, we support the use of a minimum size-threshold of 0.01 km2 for imagery with coarse to medium spatial resolution (30–10 m). However, when mapping on high-resolution imagery (<1 m) with minimal seasonal snow cover, glaciers <0.05 km2 and even <0.01 km2 are readily identifiable and using a minimum threshold may be inappropriate. For these cases, we develop a set of criteria to enable the identification of very small glaciers and classify them as certain, probable or possible. This should facilitate a more consistent approach to identifying and mapping very small glaciers on high-resolution imagery, helping to produce more comprehensive and accurate glacier inventories.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000509/type/journal_articleGlacier fluctuationsglacier mappingmountain glaciersremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | J. R. Leigh C. R. Stokes R. J. Carr I. S. Evans L. M. Andreassen D. J. A. Evans Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery Journal of Glaciology Glacier fluctuations glacier mapping mountain glaciers remote sensing |
| title | Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery |
| title_full | Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery |
| title_fullStr | Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery |
| title_short | Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery |
| title_sort | identifying and mapping very small 0 5 km2 mountain glaciers on coarse to high resolution imagery |
| topic | Glacier fluctuations glacier mapping mountain glaciers remote sensing |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000509/type/journal_article |
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