Changes of Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the surrounding glaciers after its collapse in 1995 were investigated using satellite radar imagery, with emphasis on changes in the glaciers which previously nourished the ice shelf north of Seal Nunataks and now calve directly into the sea. The large glaciers retreated several kilometres inland of the previous grounding line. The velocity field of Drygalski Glacier, the largest glacier in this area, was mapped by means of interferograms derived from pairs of European Remote-sensing Satellite synthetic aperture radar images from 1995 and 1999. The main part of the glacier showed a significant acceleration of flow over these 4 years, with an increase of velocity up to three-fold at the terminus. Similar accelerations were observed by means of interferometry on several other grounded glaciers, suggesting that the removal of ice shelves could lead to an effect on eustatic sea level. For Larsen B, the northernmost surviving part of Larsen Ice Shelf, the retreat of the ice front to October 2000 is documented.

Ice dolines on the Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica, are observed to be elongated depressions a few hundred meters across and up to 19 m deep. One-meter resolution imagery is used to quantify these dimensions. Elevation profiles across five dolines are derived by photoclinometry. Landsat and radar imagery is also used to show that dolines can form in a single melt season and persist for years. Dolines occur in clusters and in direct proximity to surface meltwater lakes. Field observations suggest dolines form by collapse into a subsurface cavity. A direct hydraulic connection with the underlying ocean is believed necessary to drain water that would otherwise collect in dolines. A formation hypothesis is discussed consistent with these observations and with energy-and hydrostatic-imbalance considerations.

We have assembled an elevation grid for the Greenland ice sheet using a combination of the best current digital elevation model (DEM) (Bamber and others, 2000a, 2001) and 44 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer satellite images acquired in spring 1997. The images are used to quantitatively enhance the representation of surface undulations through photoclinometry. Gridcell spacing of the new DEM is 625 m. To validate the new DEM, we compared profiles extracted from it and the Bamber and others DEM with airborne laser altimetry profiles collected in the 1990s by the Airborne Topographic Mapper (Krabill and others, 1995). The image-enhanced DEM has a greatly improved representation of decameter-relief surface features <15 km in lateral extent, and reduces the mean elevation error in regions having these features by 20–50%. Root-mean-squared errors are typically 7–15m in the Bamber DEM, and 4–10m after image enhancement. However, the photoclinometry process adds some noise. In very smooth portions of the ice sheet where decameter undulationsare absent, the photoclinometry process caused a slight increase in the rms error, from ~1 min the Bamber and others DEM to ∼2.5 min the image-enhanced DEM. The image-enhanced DEM will be useful for inferring accumulation-rate variations over the undulation field, or for improving maps of bedrock elevation through inversion of surface elevation, for example. We briefly explore the preliminary steps of this latter application.

Seasonal variations of firn density in ice-sheet firn layers have been attributed to variations in deposition processes or other processes within the upper firn. A recent high-resolution (mm-scale) density profile, measured along a 181 m core from Antarctica, showed small-scale density variations with a clear seasonal cycle that apparently was not related to seasonal variations in deposition or known near-surface processes (Gerland and others, 1999). A recent model of surface elevation changes (Zwally and Li, in press) produced a seasonal variation in firn densification, and explained the seasonal surface elevation changes observed by satellite radar altimeters. In this study, we apply our one-dimensional time-dependent numerical model of firn densification that includes a temperature-dependent formulation of firn densification based on laboratory measurements of grain growth. The model is driven by a steady-state seasonal surface temperature and a constant accumulation rate appropriate for the measured Antarctic ice core. The modeled seasonal variations in firn density show that the layers of snow deposited during spring to mid-summer that have the highest temperature history compress to the highest density, and the layers deposited during later summer to autumn that have the lowest temperature history compress to the lowest density. The initial amplitude of the seasonal difference of about 0.13 reduces to about 0.09 in 5 years and asymptotically to 0.0 at greater depth, which is consistent with the core measurements.

An anisotropic-ice flowline model is applied to a flowline through Swiss Camp (69.57° N, 49.28° W), West Greenland, to estimate the dates of internal layers detected by radio-echo sounding measurements. The effect of an anisotropic-ice fabric on ice flow is incorporated into the steady-state flowline model. The stress–strain-rate relationship for anisotropic ice is characterized by an enhancement factor based on the laboratory observations of ice deformation under combined compression and shear stresses. By using present-day data of accumulation rate, surface temperature, surface elevation and ice thickness along the flowline as model inputs, a very close agreement is found between the isochrones generated from the model and the observed internal layers with confirmed dates. The results indicate that this part of the Greenland ice sheet is primarily in steady state.

The hydrological ice-sheet basin draining into the Tasersiaq lake, West Greenland (66°13’ N, 50°30’W), was delineated, first using standard digital elevation models (DEMs) for ice-sheet surface and bedrock, and subsequently using a new high-resolution dataset, with a surface DEM derived from repeat-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and a bedrock topography derived from an airborne 60 MHz ice-penetrating radar. The extent of the delineation was calculated from a water-pressure potential as a function of the ice-sheet surface and bedrock elevations and a hydraulic factor k describing the relative importance of the potential of the ice overburden pressure compared to the bedrock topography. Themeltwater run-off for the basin delineations was modelled with an energy-balance model calibrated with observed ice-sheet ablation and compared to a 25 year time series of measured basin run-off. The standard DEMs were found to be inadequate for delineation purposes, whereas delineations from high-resolution data were found to be very sensitive to changes in k in a non-linear way, causing a factor 5 change of basin area, corresponding to a doubling of the modelled runoff. The 50% standard deviation of the measured basin run-off could thus be explained by small year-to-year variations of the k-factor.

We use topographically corrected interferograms, repeated global positioning system observations of locations of stakes and time series of elevation data to produce time series of high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) ice surface motion maps for the infilling of the ice depression created by the 1996 subglacial eruption at the Gjálp volcano in Vatnajökull, Iceland. The ice inflow generated uplift in the central parts of the depression. During the first months, the uplift was much reduced by basal melting as the subglacial volcano cooled. For those motions surface-parallel ice flow cannot be assumed. The 3-D motion maps are created by an optimization process that combines the complementary datasets. The optimization is based on a Markov random-field regularization and a simulated annealing algorithm. The 3-D motion maps show the pattern of gradually diminishing ice flow into the depression. They provide a consistent picture of the 3-D motion field, both spatially and with time, which cannot be seen by separate interpretation of the complementary observations. The 3-D motion maps were used to calculate the cooling rate of the subglacial volcano for the first year after the eruption. First an uplift rate resulting solely from the inflow of ice was calculated from inferred horizontal motions. Basal melting was then estimated as the difference between the calculated uplift generated by the inflow of ice, and the observed uplift that was the combined result of ice inflow and basal melting. The basal melting was found to decline from 55 m3 s–1 (due to power of 18 GW) in January 1997 to 5 m3 s–1 (2GW) in October 1997.

Sortebræ, a large tidewater-terminating glacier in East Greenland, underwent a major surge between 1992 and 1995 during which the glacier terminus advanced by nearly 10 km. In this paper, intensity tracking, interferometry and visual interpretation have been used to characterize the ice dynamics during the surge from satellite synthetic aperture radar images. The surge had a rapid initiation that saw velocities increase by 60–1500 times, and within 13 months the entire lower 53 km of the glacier was affected. Surge termination occurred very rapidly during summer, and ice velocity dropped from around 20 md–1 to around 2 md–1 in only 3 months. Uniquely, part of the upper glacier remained fast-flowing even after the main surge event had terminated. Ice dynamics together with observations of large turbid lakes at the glacier margins suggest that the surge resulted from a throttling of basal water by a switch in the hydrological system.

To exploit the high accuracy potential of laser ranging, suitable laser-altimeter calibration procedures combining laboratory and in-flight calibration steps are needed. Previous calibration schemes have limited the calibration process to flying over planar surfaces, and systematic errors remained in the system. In this paper we present a laser calibration algorithm that utilizes natural surfaces as calibration sites. This is especially important for calibrating systems in the interior of ice sheets. The proposed approach is demonstrated in calibrating the U.S. National Science Foundation Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research laser altimetry system. The results show a significant improvement in accuracy.

Superimposed ice forms when meltwater refreezes onto a sub-freezing glacier surface. The accumulation zones of many Arctic glaciers include large areas of superimposed ice, which for mass-balance purposes have to be distinguished from the ablation zone consisting of glacier ice. We examine the ability of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite sensors to detect superimposed ice on the glaciers Kongsvegen and midre Lovénbreen on Svalbard. Structural analysis of ice cores as well as surface observations from these glaciers in 1999 and 2000 provide a spatial record of superimposed ice. Winter SAR images show three distinct zones, which correspond closely to areas of glacier ice, superimposed ice and firn. This is seen very clearly on Kongsvegen, but not as clearly on the much smaller midre Lovénbreen. One possible explanation for the contrasting SAR signal may relate to the differing air-bubble content of firn, superimposed ice and glacier ice. Thin layers of winter-formed superimposed ice (510 cm) in some places are not seen on the SAR images, indicating that a certain thickness is needed for detection. The equilibrium-line altitude cannot be detected since the SAR cannot differentiate old superimposed ice, superimposed ice formed currently in the accumulation area in summer and superimposed ice formed currently in the ablation zone in autumn and winter.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Administration has photographed glacial areas in Norway for several decades. Detailed maps or digital terrain models have been made for selected glaciers from vertical aerial photographs. Multiple models of seven glaciers have been used here to calculate glacier volume change during the time between mappings using the geodetic method. Analyses and results are presented and compared with traditional mass-balance measurements. We estimated uncertainties of ±1.3–2.7mw.e. for the geodetic method, and ±1.3 –3.5mw.e. for the traditional method. The discrepancies between the methods varied between 0.4 and 4.7 mw.e. All glaciers decreased in volume from the 1960s/70s to the 1990s, except Hardangerjøkulen. This glacier experienced a significant increase in volume: the geodetic and traditional methods showed net balance values of +6.8m and +9.4mw.e., respectively. Trollbergdalsbreen had the largest total volume loss: the geodetic and traditional methods showed net balance values of –12.3 and –16.8mw.e.

This paper demonstrates the utility of European Remote-sensing Satellite (ERS) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry for monitoring the transient snow-line (TSL) on Hardangerjøkulen ice cap, southern Norway, during the 1995/96 winter. The study shows how coherence information (an interferometry product) over the ice cap can be used to locate the TSL after the summer melt season. Spatial variations in coherence over the ice cap between successive ERS tandem-phase passes from summer to winter are related to surface and volume snow stability and surface ice stability. Temporal differences of coherence images between winter and summer are investigated using histogram analysis. A histogram threshold is found for the 1995/96 winter that can be used to identify the location of the TSL and then estimate the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA). The result shows good agreement (0.5%) with the field-estimated ELA from the Norwegian Water and Energy Administration. Themethod appears to be straightforward for this ice cap and it is envisaged that it could be a useful complementary method on other ice caps where repeat-pass SAR data are available.

A new Swiss glacier inventory is to be compiled from satellite data for the year 2000. The study presented here describes two major tasks: an accuracy assessment of different methods for glacier classification with Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data and a digital elevation model (DEM); the geographical information system (GIS)-based methods for automatic extraction of individual glaciers from classified satellite data and the computation of three-dimensional glacier parameters (such as minimum, maximum and median elevation or slope and orientation) by fusion with a DEM. First results obtained by these methods are presented in Part II of this paper (Kääb and others, 2002). Thresholding of a ratio image from TM4 and TM5 reveals the best-suited glacier map. The computation of glacier parameters in a GIS environment is efficient and suitable for worldwide application. The methods developed contribute to the U. S. Geological Survey-led Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project which is currently compiling a global inventory of land ice masses within the framework of global glacier monitoring (Haeberli and others, 2000).

Complete Swiss glacier inventories are available for 1850 (reconstructed) and 1973 (from aerial photography). Connected to the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space project, a new Swiss glacier inventory for approximately the year 2000 (SGI 2000) is compiled mainly based on satellite imagery. The developed and applied remotesensing and geographical information system (GIS) methods are described in part I of the contribution. In part II, the inventory design, first-result analyses and comparisons with former glacial conditions are presented. As basic entries SGI 2000 contains the individual glacier identification, planimetric glacier boundaries as derived from image analysis, digitized central flowlines and polygonal glacier basin maps. All other parameters are automatically deduced from the above entries and a digital elevation model within a GIS. Here, we analyze a set of small Bernese and Valais glaciers of area <10 km2. These glaciers lost about 21% of area from 1973 to 1998, in addition to about 80% during 1850–1973, both with respect to the 1973 area. In order to track the latest trend in more detail, anintermediate glacier condition has been compiled from satellite imagery of 1985. This analysis gave an increasing speed of area loss (19%) for 1985–98.

A synthesis of glaciological studies carried out in Chile during recent decades is presented, including inventories and records of glacier variations, fluctuations of which are related to regional climate change and their contribution to eustatic sea-level rise. Based upon satellite imagery, aerial photographs and historical records, new data for 20 glaciers are presented. These new data are combined with previous records to cover the historical variations of 95 Chilean glaciers. Of these glaciers, only 6% show a net advance during the study period, 6% show no significant change, while 88% have retreated. The contribution of Chilean glaciers to eustatic sea-level rise has been estimated to be approximately 8.2% of the worldwide contribution of small glaciers on Earth during the last 51 years. Most of the glacier variations are thought to have been driven by a temperature increase, which has been documented by several stations in Chile. Anomalies in rainfall, and the decreasing trend in annual precipitation shown at a few stations, have probably also contributed to glacier recession. Based on observed climatic trends, it is expected that the glacier retreat will continue, that the mass balance will continue to show a negative trend and that thinning rates will increase. All of these changes will ultimately affect the availability of water resources in Chile that depend on glacierized basins.

A glacier inventory for península Córdova, isla Riesco, Chilean Patagonia (53°14’ S, 73°00’W), has been compiled based on stereoscopic interpretation of aerial photographs of March and December 1984 and 1:100 000 topographic maps. Three small icefields comprising 33 glacier outlets, in addition to 12 small separate glaciers, have been identified, with a total area of 57 km2. Glaciers are located on mountain peaks with a maximum altitude of 1183 mand a lowermost elevation of 100 m. All glaciers terminate on land, except for three glaciers calving into small fresh-water lakes. A Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) image of 6 October 1986 has been rectified and analyzed using a supervised classification to estimate snow- and glacier-covered surfaces. Glacier-area data derived from satellite-image analyses have been adjusted at península Córdova using photo-interpreted data, and extrapolated to estimate a glacier area of 215 ±40km2 for all of isla Riesco. The presence of trimlines and moraines beyond the present position of the glaciers indicates a generalized retreat from a maximum neoglacial position at península Córdova, most probably as a result of regional warming and precipitation decrease observed during the last century.

Data relating to calving dynamics in fresh water are scarce, especially for deep-water sites. A linear dependence of calving velocity (Vc) on water depth (Hw) is commonly accepted for both tidewater and fresh-water calving glaciers. Here we use recent data from temperate Patagonian glaciers to propose a revised relationship for calving in fresh water. The new ratio is derived from glaciers calving rapidly into deep water, documented using sequential satellite images and depth soundings. The main data source is a detailed remotely sensed dataset of the rapidly retreating Glaciar Upsala, complemented with global positioning system field surveys and precise ice-proximal bathymetric surveys. The area-integrated mean water depth between glacier positions in 1996 and 2000 is 490 m, with a maximum recorded depth of >700m. In the same period, image analysis reveals surface area loss of 1.37 km2 a–1 (4.8 km2) and an average calving rate of 1880ma–1. The resulting Vc/Hw ratio is of a similar order of magnitude to that recently derived for nearby Glaciar Moreno, but is well above the range of values commonly reported for lacustrine calving.

Using vertical aerial photographs taken manually with a 6 × 6 cm format camera in 1984, 1986 and 1999, the surface morphology of the ablation area of Glaciar Soler, Hielo Patagónico Norte (northern Patagonia icefield), Chile, was studied. Glaciar Soler has an area of 50.9 km2; the ablation area below the icefall is about 7 km long and 2 km wide. An uncontrolled aerial-photographic mosaic for the area below the icefall was assembled from 40–60 aerial photographs, on which the surface morphology was mapped from interpretation of stereo pairs of the enlarged photographs (scales of 1:4500 to 1: 8000). Themapped features include debris-free and debris-covered ices, ogive bands and waves, crevasses, supraglacial streams, moulins, medial moraines, troughs and grooves. A total of 32–34 pairs of ogive bands were recognized, from which an average flow velocity of about 160 m a–1 was deduced. The spacing of a pair of light and dark ogive bands indicates that the flow velocity ranges from about 350 ma–1 near the icefall to some 100 ma–1 near the snout. Comparison of the field-measured data with the ogive spacing indicates that the seasonal variation in flow velocity of Glaciar Soler is very large, probably because of variation in the amount of basal sliding.

Timing of snowmelt and freeze-up was estimated for glaciers in the Coast and St Elias Ranges of Alaska, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada, using twice-daily brightness temperatures (Tb) from the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Programs Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). Melt and freeze-up were determined for a 37 GHz vertically polarized time series using changes in the average daily Tb and high-amplitude Tb diurnal amplitude variations (DAV). DAV are the running difference between the early-morning (usually minimum) and late-afternoon (usually maximum) Tb observations. Year-round temperatures taken at 2 hour intervals on the Juneau Icefield (58°4N, 134°15 W) validated the microwave response to melt. A bimodal distribution of Tb corresponding to frozen or melting snow helped estimate the Tb at which the transition from frozen to melting snow occurred on pixels without ground observations. Thresholds of Tb (>246 K) and DAV (>±10 K) were used to refine the selection of melt and refreeze timing for southeast Alaska. Melt timing correlates with stream discharge. In general, melt onset occurred progressively earlier and refreeze later in the season between 1988 and 1998. It is not known whether this is related to regional warming or to one of the shorter decadal-scale oscillations in the Gulf of Alaska.

We demonstrate an application of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images to detect and monitor supraglacial lakes on glaciers in the Mount Everest region in Tibet (Xizang) and Nepal. ASTER offers powerful capabilities to monitor supraglacial lakes in terms of (1) surface area, growth and disappearance (spatial resolution =15m), (2) turbidity (15m resolution), and (3) temperature (90m resolution). Preliminary results show an overall similarity of supraglacial lakes on three glaciers. Lakes have widely varying turbidity as indicated by color in visible/near-infrared bands 1–3, the largest lakes being bright blue (highly turbid), cold (near 0°C) and hydraulically connected with other lakes and supraglacial streams, while small lakes are mostly darkblue (relatively clear water), warmer (>4°C), and appear hydraulically isolated. High levels of turbidity in supraglacial lakes indicate high rates of meltwater input from streams or erosion of ice cliffs, and thus are an indirect measure relating to the activity and hydraulic integration of the lake with respect to other lakes and streams in the glacier.