Terrain analysis and data modeling for alpine glacier mapping

Abstract We investigate the utility of object‐oriented data modeling and analysis of the topography for alpine glacier mapping at Nanga Parbat, in northern Pakistan. Results indicate that first‐ and second‐order morphometric parameters can be used to study glacier features and delineate debris‐covered glaciers. Object‐oriented data modeling using a two‐level hierarchy was found to be successful for delineating the Raikot Glacier, although a three‐level hierarchy is required for more detailed glacier mapping. These findings are of special importance to the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project, which will use satellite imagery to assess and map the Earth's glaciers. Furthermore, hierarchical modeling of the topography may serve to provide a foundation upon which scientists may learn more about the polygenetic nature of topographic evolution.

[1]  Betty L. Hickman,et al.  Scale-dependent analysis of satellite imagery for characterization of glacier surfaces in the Karakoram Himalaya , 1998 .

[2]  Masamu Aniya,et al.  The use of satellite and airborne imagery to inventory outlet glaciers of the Southern Patagonia Icefield, South America , 1996 .

[3]  L. Sloan,et al.  Sea Level Change Through the Last Glacial Cycle , 2001 .

[4]  M. Bishop,et al.  SPOT multispectral analysis for producing supraglacial debris‐load estimates for Batura glacier, Pakistan , 1995 .

[5]  J. F. Shroder,et al.  Unroofing of the Nanga Parbat Himalaya , 2000, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[6]  J. F. Shroder,et al.  Remote sensing and geomorphometric assessment of topographic complexity and erosion dynamics in the Nanga Parbat massif , 2000, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[7]  P. O. Koons,et al.  Modeling the Topographic Evolution of Collisional Belts , 1995 .

[8]  P. Burrough,et al.  Geographic Objects with Indeterminate Boundaries , 1996 .

[9]  M. Bishop.  REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDYING LITHOSOPHERIC PROCESSES IN A MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT , 1998 .

[10]  M. Bishop,et al.  Catastrophic Flood Flushing of Sediment, Western Himalaya, Pakistan , 1998 .

[11]  O. Solomina,et al.  CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLACIER FLUCTUATION DURING THE LAST 1,000 YEARS IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS OF THE USSR , 1991 .

[12]  H. Mitásová,et al.  Interpolation by regularized spline with tension: I. Theory and implementation , 1993 .

[13]  J. Colby,et al.  Anisotropic reflectance correction of SPOT-3 HRV imagery , 2002 .

[14]  Michael P. Bishop,et al.  Debris‐covered glaciers and rock glaciers in the nanga parbat himalaya, pakistan , 2000 .

[15]  Geoffrey O. Seltzer.  LATE-QUATERNARY GLACIATION AS A PROXY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CENTRAL ANDES , 1993 .

[16]  M. Clarke,et al.  Asynchronous glaciation at Nanga Parbat, northwestern Himalaya Mountains, Pakistan , 2000 .

[17]  Dorothy K. Hall,et al.  Observations on glaciers in the eastern Austrian Alps using satellite data , 1994 .

[18]  Dorothy K. Hall,et al.  Analysis of glacier facies using satellite techniques , 1991, Journal of Glaciology.

[19]  M. Tamisiea,et al.  Recent mass balance of polar ice sheets inferred from patterns of global sea-level change , 2001, Nature.

[20]  Jeffrey S. Kargel,et al.  Remote-sensing science and technology for studying glacier processes in high Asia , 2000, Annals of Glaciology.

[21]  Gerard P. Pregent,et al.  Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan Glacier Fluctuations and the South Asian Monsoon Record , 1980 .

[22]  W. Haeberli.  Into the second century of worldwide glacier monitoring : prospects and strategies : a contribution to the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) , 1998 .

[23]  M. Meier.  Contribution of Small Glaciers to Global Sea Level , 1984, Science.

[24]  Dorothy K. Hall,et al.  Reflectances of glaciers as calculated using Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper data , 1988 .

[25]  Burbank,et al.  Climatic Limits on Landscape Development in the Northwestern Himalaya , 1997, Science.

[26]  Jeffrey S. Kargel,et al.  New eyes in the sky measure glaciers and ice sheets , 2000 .

[27]  J. Foster,et al.  Comparison of in situ and Landsat derived reflectance of Alaskan glaciers , 1989 .

[28]  R. Dikau.  The application of a digital relief model to landform analysis in geomorphology , 2020 .

[29]  B. Hallet,et al.  Rates of erosion and sediment evacuation by glaciers: A review of field data and their implications , 1996 .

[30]  Michael P. Bishop,et al.  Geomorphic change in high mountains: a western Himalayan perspective , 2002 .

[31]  Betty L. Hickman,et al.  SPOT Panchromatic Imagery and Neural Networks for Information Extraction in a Complex Mountain Environment , 1999 .