Heterogeneous spatial and temporal pattern of surface elevation change and mass balance of the Patagonian ice fields between 2000 and 2016

Abstract. The Northern and Southern Patagonian icefields (NPI and SPI) have been subject to accelerated retreat during the last decades with considerable variability in magnitude and timing among individual glaciers. We derive spatially detailed maps of surface elevation change (SEC) of NPI and SPI from bistatic SAR interferometry data of SRTM and TanDEM-X for two epochs, 2000–2012 and 2012–2016 and provide data on changes in surface elevation and ice volume for the individual glaciers and for the icefields at large. We apply advanced TanDEM-X processing techniques allowing to cover 90 % and 95 % of the area of NPI and 97 % and 98 % of the area of SPI for the two epochs, respectively. Particular attention is paid to precisely coregistering the DEMs, assessing and accounting for possible effects of radar signal penetration through backscatter analysis, and correcting for seasonality biases in case of deviations in repeat DEM coverage from full annual time spans. The results show a different temporal trend between the two icefields and reveal a heterogeneous spatial pattern of SEC and mass balance caused by different sensitivities in respect to direct climatic forcing and ice flow dynamics of individual glaciers. The estimated volume change rates for NPI are −4.26 ± 0.20 km3 a−1 for epoch 1 and −5.60 ± 0.71 km3 a−1 for epoch 2, while for SPI these are −14.87 ± 0.51 km3 a−1 for epoch 1 and −11.86 ± 1.90 km3 a−1 for epoch 2. This amounts to 0.047 ± 0.005 mm a−1 eustatic sea level rise for both icefields during the epoch 2000–2016. On SPI the spatial pattern of surface elevation change is more complex than on NPI and the temporal trend is less uniform. On terminus sections of the main calving glaciers of SPI temporal variations of flow velocities are a main factor for differences in SEC between the two epochs. Striking differences are observed even on adjoining glaciers, such as Upsala Glacier with decreasing mass losses associated with slowdown of flow velocity between the two epochs, contrasting with acceleration and increase of mass losses on Viedma Glacier.

[1]  Fawwaz T. Ulaby,et al.  The active and passive microwave response to snow parameters: 1. Wetness , 1980 .

[2]  Fawwaz T. Ulaby,et al.  Microwave response of snow , 1981 .

[3]  A. Sihvola,et al.  The complex dielectric constant of snow at microwave frequencies , 1984 .

[4]  Christian Mätzler,et al.  Microwave signatures of snow crusts Modelling and measurements , 1987 .

[5]  Christian Mätzler,et al.  Applications of the interaction of microwaves with the natural snow cover , 1987 .

[6]  Jong-Sen Lee,et al.  Intensity and phase statistics of multilook polarimetric and interferometric SAR imagery , 1994, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[7]  R. Reynolds,et al.  The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project , 1996, Renewable Energy.

[8]  M. Aniya,et al.  The calving glaciers of southern South America , 1999 .

[9]  David A. Seal,et al.  The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission , 2007 .

[10]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Retrieval of wet snow by means of multitemporal SAR data , 2000, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[11]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Seasonal and short-term variability of multifrequency, polarimetric radar backscatter of Alpine terrain from SIR-C/X-SAR and AIRSAR data , 2001, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[12]  A. Roth,et al.  The shuttle radar topography mission—a new class of digital elevation models acquired by spaceborne radar , 2003 .

[13]  Eric Rignot,et al.  Contribution of the Patagonia Icefields of South America to Sea Level Rise , 2003, Science.

[14]  A. Rivera.  Mass balance investigations at Glaciar Chico, Southern Patagonia Icefield, Chile , 2004 .

[15]  Kamal Sarabandi,et al.  Validation of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission height data , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[16]  David J. Harding,et al.  SRTM C-band and ICESat Laser Altimetry Elevation Comparisons as a Function of Tree Cover and Relief , 2006 .

[17]  Jonathan L. Bamber,et al.  Ice elevation and areal changes of glaciers from the Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile , 2007 .

[18]  D. Benn,et al.  Calving processes and the dynamics of calving glaciers , 2007 .

[19]  Jørgen Dall,et al.  InSAR Elevation Bias Caused by Penetration Into Uniform Volumes , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[20]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Glaciar Perito Moreno, Patagonia: climate sensitivities and glacier characteristics preceding the 2003/04 and 2005/06 damming events , 2007, Journal of Glaciology.

[21]  L. A. Rasmussen,et al.  Influence of upper air conditions on the Patagonia icefields , 2007 .

[22]  Jaime Hueso Gonzalez,et al.  TanDEM-X: A satellite formation for high-resolution SAR interferometry , 2007 .

[23]  Byron D. Tapley,et al.  Patagonia Icefield melting observed by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) , 2007 .

[24]  Helko Breit,et al.  TerraSAR-X Ground Segment Basic Product Specification Document , 2008 .

[25]  J. Graham Cogley,et al.  Geodetic and direct mass-balance measurements: comparison and joint analysis , 2009 .

[26]  B. Denby,et al.  Spatially integrated geodetic glacier mass balance and its uncertainty based on geostatistical analysis: application to the western Svartisen ice cap, Norway , 2009, Journal of Glaciology.

[27]  Paul Berrisford,et al.  The ERA-Interim Archive , 2009 .

[28]  Michael Eineder,et al.  TanDEM-X Mission: Raw DEM Generation , 2010 .

[29]  Reinhard Dietrich,et al.  Rapid crustal uplift in Patagonia due to enhanced ice loss , 2010 .

[30]  Gerhard Krieger,et al.  Development of the TanDEM-X Calibration Concept: Analysis of Systematic Errors , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[31]  Johannes Oerlemans,et al.  A regional view of fluctuations in glacier length in southern South America , 2010 .

[32]  J. Thepaut,et al.  The ERA‐Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system , 2011 .

[33]  A. Kääb,et al.  Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change , 2011 .

[34]  Helko Breit,et al.  Interferometric processing of TanDEM-X data , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[35]  Axel Rülke,et al.  On-land ice loss and glacial isostatic adjustment at the drake passage: 2003-2009 , 2011 .

[36]  Neil F. Glasser,et al.  Global sea-level contribution from the Patagonian Icefields since the Little Ice Age maximum , 2011 .

[37]  Matthew E. Pritchard,et al.  Ice loss from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, South America, between 2000 and 2012 , 2012 .

[38]  Claudio Bravo,et al.  Little Ice Age advance and retreat of Glaciar Jorge Montt, Chilean Patagonia , 2012 .

[39]  N. Glasser,et al.  Accelerating shrinkage of Patagonian glaciers from the “ Little Ice Age ” ( c . 1 AD 1870 ) to 2011 2 , 2012 .

[40]  Matthew E. Pritchard,et al.  Ice loss rates at the Northern Patagonian Icefield derived using a decade of satellite remote sensing , 2012 .

[41]  Helko Breit,et al.  Bistatic and interferometric processing of TanDEM-X data , 2012 .

[42]  N. Glasser,et al.  Accelerating shrinkage of Patagonian glaciers from the Little Ice Age (~AD 1870) to 2011 , 2012, Journal of Glaciology.

[43]  W. Tad Pfeffer,et al.  Recent contributions of glaciers and ice caps to sea level rise , 2012, Nature.

[44]  Michael Eineder,et al.  TanDEM-X calibrated Raw DEM generation , 2012 .

[45]  Michael Eineder,et al.  Dynamics of fast glaciers in the Patagonia Icefields derived from TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X data , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[46]  Kamal Sarabandi,et al.  Microwave Radar and Radiometric Remote Sensing , 2013 .

[47]  J. Dowdeswell,et al.  Submarine landforms in the fjords of southern Chile: implications for glacimarine processes and sedimentation in a mild glacier-influenced environment , 2013 .

[48]  M. Rojas,et al.  Large-Scale Control on the Patagonian Climate , 2013 .

[49]  Solveig H. Winsvold,et al.  On the accuracy of glacier outlines derived from remote-sensing data , 2013, Annals of Glaciology.

[50]  Marius Schaefer,et al.  Modeling past and future surface mass balance of the Northern Patagonia Icefield , 2013 .

[51]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Evolution of surface velocities and ice discharge of Larsen B outlet glaciers from 1995 to 2013 , 2014 .

[52]  Dorothée Vallot,et al.  First-principles Simulations and the Criticality of Calving Glaciers : Termini of calving glaciers as self-organized critical systems , 2014 .

[53]  T. Bolch,et al.  The Randolph Glacier inventory: a globally complete inventory of glaciers , 2014 .

[54]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Glacier dynamics of the Northern Patagonia Icefield derived from SRTM, TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X data , 2014, 2014 IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[55]  M. Lachaise.  Phase Unwrapping of Multi-Channel Synthetic Aperture Radar: Application to the TanDEM-X Mission , 2015 .

[56]  Eric Rignot,et al.  Ice motion of the Patagonian Icefields of South America: 1984–2014 , 2015 .

[57]  Anna Wendleder,et al.  A Method to Estimate Long-Wave Height Errors of SRTM C-Band DEM , 2016, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters.

[58]  B. Mark,et al.  Modeling modern glacier response to climate changes along the Andes Cordillera: A multiscale review , 2016 .

[59]  Maxim Neumann,et al.  NASADEM GLOBAL ELEVATION MODEL: METHODS AND PROGRESS , 2016 .

[60]  A. Rivera,et al.  Detailed dynamic, geometric and supraglacial moraine data for Glaciar Pio XI, the only surge-type glacier of the Southern Patagonia Icefield , 2016, Annals of Glaciology.

[61]  Wael Abdel Jaber,et al.  Derivation of mass balance and surface velocity of glaciers by means of high resolution synthetic aperture radar: application to the Patagonian Icefields and Antarctica , 2016 .

[62]  W. Haeberli,et al.  Observation-Based Estimates of Global Glacier Mass Change and Its Contribution to Sea-Level Change , 2016, Surveys in Geophysics.

[63]  Marie Lachaise,et al.  Phase unwrapping strategy and assessment for the high resolution DEMs of the TanDEM-X mission , 2016, 2016 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS).

[64]  Gerhard Krieger,et al.  Generation and performance assessment of the global TanDEM-X digital elevation model , 2017 .

[65]  Shin Sugiyama,et al.  Seasonal Variations in Ice-Front Position Controlled by Frontal Ablation at Glaciar Perito Moreno, the Southern Patagonia Icefield , 2017, Front. Earth Sci..

[66]  Helmut Rott,et al.  Changing pattern of ice flow and mass balance for glaciers discharging into the Larsen A and B embayments, Antarctic Peninsula, 2011 to 2016 , 2017 .

[67]  G. Casassa,et al.  Glacier Mass Changes of Lake-Terminating Grey and Tyndall Glaciers at the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived From Geodetic Observations and Energy and Mass Balance Modeling , 2018, Front. Earth Sci..

[68]  G. Mayr,et al.  Lagrangian Detection of Moisture Sources for the Southern Patagonia Icefield (1979–2017) , 2018, Front. Earth Sci..

[69]  Achim Roth,et al.  Accuracy assessment of the global TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model with GPS data , 2018 .

[70]  E. Berthier,et al.  Geodetic Mass Balance of the Northern Patagonian Icefield from 2000 to 2012 Using Two Independent Methods , 2018, Front. Earth Sci..

[71]  Wolfgang Meier,et al.  Elevation and Mass Changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived from TanDEM-X and SRTM Data , 2018, Remote. Sens..

[72]  Mark R. Drinkwater,et al.  Heterogeneous and rapid ice loss over the Patagonian Ice Fields revealed by CryoSat-2 swath radar altimetry , 2018, Remote Sensing of Environment.

[73]  Eric Rignot,et al.  Global sea-level budget 1993–present , 2018, Earth System Science Data.

[74]  Pedro Skvarca,et al.  Constraining glacier elevation and mass changes in South America , 2019, Nature Climate Change.

[75]  E. Miles,et al.  Air Temperature Characteristics, Distribution, and Impact on Modeled Ablation for the South Patagonia Icefield , 2019, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.