Researchers at Peking University’s School of Earth and Space Sciences have published a sweeping review of how synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging geodesy has transformed the monitoring of glacier velocity, tracing the field’s development across three distinct stages: a preliminary period from 1993 to 2010, a stage of gradual improvement from 2011 to 2014, and an era of wide application from 2015 to the present.

“Glacier velocity is one of the key parameters used to describe glacier dynamics,” said corresponding author Teng Wang. “Many glaciers are located in remote, high-altitude, or polar regions, where fieldwork is challenging.”

“SAR satellites actively transmit electromagnetic waves and record the signals reflected from Earth’s surface… This allows them to observe glaciers during day or night and in nearly all weather conditions,” Wang added.

Co-author Meiling Wen explained that among the SAR techniques used, “pixel offset tracking is especially useful for glacier studies… Pixel offset tracking is better suited to large movements because it compares recognizable surface features in two images.”

“Since the first application of SAR imaging geodesy to glacier monitoring in 1993, these methods have been applied to almost all large glaciers on Earth,” Wen said. “Glacier flow rates have reached 800 meters per year and even 1,200 meters per year, and one Greenland study involved more than 900 SAR images.”

Journal: Geodesy and Geodynamics
DOI: 10.1016/j.geog.2024.08.004
Article Title: Review of SAR imaging geodesy for glacier velocity monitoring
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Source: EurekAlert