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Estimation and analysis of the surface velocity field of mountain glaciers in Muztag Ata using satellite SAR data

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Abstract

Muztag Ata is a mountain known as the “Father of glaciers” in the west of China. However, its glacier flow pattern has never been studied. In this paper, the velocity of mountain glaciers on Muztag Ata is mapped by two methods (InSAR and offset-tacking) using SAR data. This map provides a detailed view of the features of glacier motion on Muztag Ata. A special effort was also made to assess the accuracy of the glacier velocity estimates. To ensure the accuracy of the derived results, the validation of the results was conducted over two glaciers (Saliymek Glacier and Kuksay Glacier). The two methods yielded similar results that agree well with each other. The patterns of glacier velocity on Muztag Ata suggest that mountain topography, westerly winds and the monsoon have a strong influence. Our results show that motion of glaciers in the southern and western regions of Muztag Ata is faster than that in the northern and eastern regions. Eleven glaciers were identified, along which glacier velocities exhibited distinctive behavior in terms of the spatial variability of the glacier motion. The occurrence of the local flow maxima and minima at consistent locations over different parts of different glaciers suggests that the subglacial topography, glacier size and glacier orientation affect the overall flow patterns. The velocities are very low in the surface debris cover of some glaciers, which suggests debris cover has an impact on glacier motion.

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Acknowledgments

Special appreciation is due to Shangguan Donghui for his helpful suggestions on this paper. Our research is supported by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2010CB951403 and 2009CB723901) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41001042) and the Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy Sciences Director Fund Project (Grant No. Y2ZZ05101B).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Digital Earth, Institute of Remote sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100094, China

    Jianmin Zhou & Zhen Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Wanqin Guo

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  1. Jianmin Zhou
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  2. Zhen Li
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Correspondence to Zhen Li.

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Zhou, J., Li, Z. & Guo, W. Estimation and analysis of the surface velocity field of mountain glaciers in Muztag Ata using satellite SAR data. Environ Earth Sci 71, 3581–3592 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2749-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2749-5

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