MMASTER: Improved ASTER DEMs for Elevation Change Monitoring

Girod, Luc; Nuth, Christopher; Kääb, Andreas; McNabb, Robert; Galland, Olivier

doi:10.3390/rs9070704

Cited by 68 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Ongoing tasking campaigns for in-track WV/GE sub-meter stereo imagery will fill gaps in existing DEM coverage and provide better repeat high-resolution DEM coverage for HMA glaciers. Combining these growing archives with additional ASTER stereo DEMs, improved ASTER artifact correction algorithms (e.g., Girod et al, 2017), and new satellite laser altimetry archives (NASA ICESat-2 and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation [GEDI]) should enable new elevation change analyses with robust trend fits over shorter intervals. The refined observations of spatiotemporal evolution will enable detailed analysis of the relationships between observed glacier mass balance and evolving climate forcing, surface processes affecting glacier sensitivity (e.g., debris cover evolution), and glacier dynamics-all of which must be better understood to properly assess the present and future role of HMA glaciers for downstream water resources.…”

Section: Conclusion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic, Regional Assessment of High Mountain Asia Glacier Mass Balance

et al. 2020

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High-mountain Asia (HMA) constitutes the largest glacierized region outside of the Earth's polar regions. Although available observations are limited, long-term records indicate sustained HMA glacier mass loss since ∼1850, with accelerated loss in recent decades. Recent satellite data capture the spatial variability of this mass loss, but spatial resolution is coarse and some estimates for regional and HMA-wide mass loss disagree. To address these issues, we generated 5,797 high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) from available sub-meter commercial stereo imagery (DigitalGlobe WorldView-1/2/3 and GeoEye-1) acquired over HMA glaciers from 2007 to 2018 (primarily 2013-2017). We also reprocessed 28,278 ASTER DEMs over HMA from 2000 to 2018. We combined these observations to generate robust elevation change trend maps and geodetic mass balance estimates for 99% of HMA glaciers between 2000 and 2018. We estimate total HMA glacier mass change of −19.0 ± 2.5 Gt yr −1 (−0.19 ± 0.03 m w.e. yr −1 ). We document the spatial pattern of HMA glacier mass change with unprecedented detail, and present aggregated estimates for HMA glacierized sub-regions and hydrologic basins. Our results offer improved estimates for the HMA contribution to global sea level rise in recent decades with total cumulative sea-level rise contribution of ∼0.7 mm from exorheic basins between 2000 and 2018. We estimate that the range of excess glacier meltwater runoff due to negative glacier mass balance in each basin constitutes ∼12-53% of the total basin-specific glacier meltwater runoff. These results can be used for calibration and validation of glacier mass balance models, satellite gravimetry observations, and hydrologic models needed for present and future water resource management.

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Section: Conclusion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic, Regional Assessment of High Mountain Asia Glacier Mass Balance

et al. 2020

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“…In order to investigate the effects of interpolating voids, we first simulate voids in the (arbitrarily chosen) IfSAR DEM to reflect the distribution and size of voids that might be expected in DEMs derived from optical stereo sensors. Correlation masks from 99 MicMac ASTER (MMASTER) processed stereo scenes (Girod et al, 2017) provide the basis for void simulation as low correlation areas represent failure of the stereographic reconstruction and elevation determination.…”

Section: Artificial Void Generationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To illustrate this, we used ASTER DEMs acquired on 13 August 2015 over a portion of the 2012 IfSAR acquisition area and differenced these DEMs to the SRTM. The ASTER DEMs were processed using MMAS-TER, and along-track and cross-track biases were corrected using the 2012 IfSAR DEM (see Girod et al, 2017, for more details on these corrections).…”

Section: Aster Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of glacier volume change estimation to DEM void interpolation

et al. 2019

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Glacier mass balance has been estimated on individual glacier and regional scales using repeat digital elevation models (DEMs). DEMs often have gaps in coverage ("voids"), the properties of which depend on the nature of the sensor used and the surface being measured. The way that these voids are accounted for has a direct impact on the estimate of geodetic glacier mass balance, though a systematic comparison of different proposed methods has been heretofore lacking. In this study, we determine the impact and sensitivity of void interpolation methods on estimates of volume change. Using two spatially complete, high-resolution DEMs over southeast Alaska, USA, we artificially generate voids in one of the DEMs using correlation values derived from photogrammetric processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) scenes. We then compare 11 different void interpolation methods on a glacier-by-glacier and regional basis. We find that a few methods introduce biases of up to 20 % in the regional results, while other methods give results very close ( < 1 % difference) to the true, non-voided volume change estimates. By comparing results from a few of the best-performing methods, an estimate of the uncertainty introduced by interpolating voids can be obtained. Finally, by increasing the number of voids, we show that with these best-performing methods, reliable estimates of glacier-wide volume change can be obtained, even with sparse DEM coverage.Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

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“…The vertical accuracy of Worldview DEMs ranges between 3.5 and 4.5 m (Noh and Howat, 2015). An ASTER DEM from 2005 was generated from the nadir and back-looking nearinfrared bands through Rational Polynomial Coefficient (RPC) generation and jitter compensation methods, as presented in Girod et al (2017). The 30 m non-void filled SRTM1 DEM from February 2000 was used, although the coverage of the dataset was not complete due to radar shadowing, in particular the accumulation areas of many of the glaciers lacked elevation data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variability in Patterns of Glacier Change across the Manaslu Range, Central Himalaya

et al. 2018

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This study assesses changes in glacier area, velocity, and geodetic mass balance for the glaciers in the Manaslu region of Nepal, a previously undocumented region of the Himalayas. We studied changes between 1970 (for select glaciers), 2000, 2005, and 2013 Glacier change varies across the region and seems to relate to a combination of glacier hypsometry, glacier elevation range and the presence and distribution of supraglacial debris. Lower-elevation, debris-free glaciers with bottom-heavy hypsometries are losing most mass. As the glaciers in the Manaslu region continue to stagnate, an accumulation and thickening of the debris-cover is likely, thereby insulating the glacier and further complicating future glacier responses to climate.

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MMASTER: Improved ASTER DEMs for Elevation Change Monitoring

Cited by 68 publications

References 27 publications

A Systematic, Regional Assessment of High Mountain Asia Glacier Mass Balance

A Systematic, Regional Assessment of High Mountain Asia Glacier Mass Balance

Sensitivity of glacier volume change estimation to DEM void interpolation

Spatial Variability in Patterns of Glacier Change across the Manaslu Range, Central Himalaya

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