A METHOD FOR MONOTORING GLACIER MASS BALANCE USING REMOTE SENSING IN THE FRENCH ALPS : COMPARISON WITH GROUND MEASUREMENTS ( ) Jean-Pierre DEDIEU, Antoine RABATEL, Christian VINCENT, Alvaro SORUCO Laboratoire de Glaciologie et de Géophysique de l’Environnement CNRS - Grenoble, France. 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
Glaciers Monitoring from Space Input : Additions of trends towards improvement in : Spatial and spectral resolution * Spatial and spectral resolution Frequency of repeat coverage * Frequency of repeat coverage Radiometric calibration * Radiometric calibration * Geometric fidelity Stereo capabilities * Stereo capabilities Output : National and International projects 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
GLIMS : Global Land Ice Measurements from Space ( World glaciers database (ASTER satellite images)
Glacier Inventory at regional scale (Optical satellite images) Mer de Glace © Spot Image 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France © Landsat ETM7 – Géant Leschaux Talèfre Chamonix
Swiss Glacier Inventory ( Landsat satellite images Evolution (by Fanck PAUL, Andreas KAAB & al.) Mischabel mountain range Aletsch glacier region 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
Objective : Glacier net mass balance Ablation area Accumulation area Photo : M. Caplain E Equilibrium line Mass balance = Accumulation + Ablation Expressed in meter water equivalent MB<0 MB>0 MB=0 Martin Gerbaux
St.Sorlin Glacier, (© Louis Reynaud) St.Sorlin Glacier, (© Spot-Image) annual Mass Balance derived from ELA by where db/dz = 0.78 m w.e./100 m ( ) FOCUS: Equilibrium Line Altitude variations
Remote Sensing database French Glaciers Observatory Service (LGGE-OSUG, Grenoble) ARGENTIERE N 45°87/ E 6°90 West, 19 km 2 GEBROULAZ N 45°19/ E 6°40 North, 3.2 km 2 St. SORLIN N45°10/ E 6°10 North-East, 3 km Satellite data :
Remote Sensing processing (optical and SAR data) SPOT-Image 26/08/2000 © SPOT-Image 26/08/2000 © Radarsat 26/10/1996 Raw Image D.E.M. - Geometric and radiometric corrections, ratios thresholds ( PCI inc. ) - annual ELA digitized measurement + 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
2. Ground data : 2. Ground data : direct measurements (stakes) Regression line = ELA, d(b)/d(z) 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
2. db/dz variation : 0,78 m water equivalent Mean Value St.Sorlin/Gébroulaz/Argentière : 0,78 m water equivalent - - 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
3. ELAs and specific net balance comparison ( ): a. Field measurements (stakes)b. Field versus Remote Sensing 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
4. Comparison of cumulative specific net balance between reconstructed and direct measurements b(t) = ( ELA eq – ELA i ) * db/dz, where ELA eq = 1/n ΣELA i - * db/dz SPOT-Image 1986 © SPOT-Image Methodology: Gebroulaz glacier ( ) 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
4.2. Preliminary results: Gebroulaz glacier ( ) a. Surface mass balance (t) at ELA area b. Cumulative specific mass balance b(t)
4.3. Meteorological corrections and final results ( ) a. Raw remoted b(t) before correction b. after Cumulated Positive Degree-Day correction (Meteo-France data)
8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France Limitations : The extreme summer 2003 and its effects on alpine glaciers Glacier b(t) m we ELA m asl Argentière (19 km 2, N) St. Sorlin (3 km 2, NE) Gebroulaz (3 km 2, N) Sarennes (0.5 km 2, S) © Landsat TM5 26/09/1985 © ASTER 12/08/2003 Sarennes Glacier (Cemagref, since 1949) Ice Snow Rocks
Conclusions and outlook Mass balance reconstruction results are validated by direct ground measurements on : 2 glaciers + 8 cycles, 1 glacier + 17 cycles to study deeply ELAs yearly maps can be produced by Remote Sensing at the mountain range scale (gradient) Method of interest for climate change impact 8th Circumpolar Symposium on Remote Sensing of Polar Environments - June 8 -12, 2004 Chamonix, France
St. Sorlin Glacier, 1987 Thanks for your attention...