Rapid glacier mass loss in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau since the year 2000 from satellite observations

Zhao, Fanyu; Long, Di; Li, Xingdong; Huang, Qi; Han, Pengfei

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2021.112853

Cited by 65 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…LIT can provide information on both lake ice quantity (vertically) and quality (e.g., the strength of lake ice), which is highly related to the safety of human activities on ice. For instance, LIT loss could reduce the availability of ice roads (Li et al, 2022) and increase the possibility of winter drowning (Sharma et al, 2020). However, compared with the intensively investigated lake/river ice cover (Du et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2020;Kropá cek et al, 2013), the knowledge of LIT is largely limited, due mostly to the lack of in situ observations and effective remote sensing-based methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current remote sensing of LIT is based mostly on information from thermal infrared sensors and microwave sensors (Murfitt and Duguay, 2021). Thermal infrared information such as lake surface temperatures can be used to drive a freezing degree day-based model or more sophisticated lake ice models to estimate LIT (Yu and Rothrock, 1996;Zeng et al, 2016;Li et al, 2022). However, cloud contamination and complex physical processes related to lake surface snow (Cheng et al, 2013; could limit the accuracy and robustness of the method based on thermal infrared information and lake ice modelling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The method developed by Beckers et al (2017) is not that compatible with traditional pulse-limited altimeters, because the waveforms of pulse-limited altimeters are largely different from those from SAR altimeters. Li et al (2022) developed a LIT estimation method suitable for pulse-limited altimeters T/P and Jason-1/2/3. Therefore, the time span of retrievable LIT has been increased substantially from ~10 years to almost three decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the minimum LIT retrievable with the method developed by Beckers et al (2017) is 0.263 m for CryoSat-2 theoretically. For Jason-1/2/3, Li et al (2022) suggested that the LIT retrieval is robust after LIT exceeds 0.4 m because the waveforms of Jason-1/2/3 have a coarser range resolution than CryoSat-2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yang et al (2021) suggested that the first subwaveform of Jason-1/2/3 waveforms from ice-covered lake surfaces corresponds to snowice interfaces based on the comparison with in situ water levels. However, Li et al (2022) suggested that the first subwaveform corresponds to the snow surface for most Canadian lakes based on the comparison with in situ ice and snow thickness. Better understanding the paradox of the forming of altimetry radar waveforms from ice-covered lake surfaces could benefit the retrieval of winter water levels as well as LIT.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ice thickness and water level estimation for ice-covered lakes with satellite altimetry waveforms and backscattering coefficients

Long

Cui

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Lake ice, serving as a sensitive indicator of climate change, is an important regulator of regional hydroclimate and lake ecosystems. For ice-covered lakes, traditional satellite altimetry-based water level estimation is often subject to winter anomalies that are closely related to the thickening of lake ice. Despite recent efforts made in exploiting altimetry data to resolve the two interrelated variables, i.e., lake ice thickness (LIT) and water level of ice-covered lakes, several important issues remain unsolved, including the inability of estimating LIT with altimetric backscattering coefficients in ungauged lakes due to the dependence on in situ LIT data. It is still unclear what role lake surface snow plays in the retrieval of LIT and water levels in ice-covered lakes with altimetry data. Here we developed a novel method to estimate lake ice thickness by combining altimetric waveforms and backscattering coefficients without using in situ LIT data. To overcome complicated initial LIT conditions and better represent thick ice conditions, a logarithmic regression model was developed to transform backscattering coefficients into LIT. We investigated differential impact of lake surface snow on estimating water levels for ice-covered lakes when different threshold retracking methods are used. The developed LIT estimation method, validated against in situ data and cross-validated against modelled LIT shows an accuracy of ~0.2 m and is effective in detecting thin ice that cannot be retrieved by altimetric waveforms. We also improved estimation of water levels for ice-covered lakes with a strategy of merging lake water levels derived from different threshold methods. This study facilitates a better interpretation of satellite altimetry signals from ice-covered lakes and provides opportunities for a wider application of altimetry data to the cryosphere.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ice thickness and water level estimation for ice-covered lakes with satellite altimetry waveforms and backscattering coefficients

Long

Cui

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The response of glaciers and glacial lakes to climate change in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau over the past three decades

Dou,

Fan,

Wang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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With global warming, changes in glaciers and glacial lakes on the Tibetan Plateau call for a serious inspection. The Southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) is a typical monsoonal marine glacier area that is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It is affected by both humid and warm Indian Ocean currents. Outlines of glaciers and glacial lakes in SETP have been extracted from Landsat satellite images with an automatic extraction method based on image compositing with Google Earth Engine and Random Forest algorithm. Alongside the outlines, meteorological data have been collected from 1990 to 2021. The results show that since 1990 the glacier area of SETP has retreated by about 2165.33 km2 (~25.28%), the glacial lake area has increased by about 36.41 km2 (~21.45%), and their number has increased by 477 (~27.32%). The reliability and scientific validity of this study is proven by comparison with existing glacier inventories. By analyzing the meteorological data, the inverse correlation between the glacier area and temperature has been found. Despite decreases in cumulative precipitation, the glacial lake level rise and consequent area expansion have been observed. A fitting equation for the response pattern of glacier changes to temperature and precipitation change is presented and will provide a basis for future studies.

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Intimidating Evidences of Climate Change from the Higher Himalaya: A Case Study from Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, India

Ali

Pandey

Singh

et al. 2023

J Indian Soc Remote Sens

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Rapid glacier mass loss in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau since the year 2000 from satellite observations

Cited by 65 publications

References 64 publications

Ice thickness and water level estimation for ice-covered lakes with satellite altimetry waveforms and backscattering coefficients

Ice thickness and water level estimation for ice-covered lakes with satellite altimetry waveforms and backscattering coefficients

The response of glaciers and glacial lakes to climate change in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau over the past three decades

Intimidating Evidences of Climate Change from the Higher Himalaya: A Case Study from Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, India

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