HR: 11:50h
AN: C31D-07    [PDF]
TI: ICESat Observations of Southern Alaska Glaciers
AU: * Sauber, J
EM: jeanne@steller.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Geodynamics Branch, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Molnia, B F
EM: bmolnia@usgs.gov
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, 926A National Center, Reston, VA 20192 United States
AU: Mitchell, D
AF: Dept of Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 United States
AB: In late February and March, 2003, the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) measured ice and land elevations along profiles across southern Alaska. During this initial data acquisition stage ICESat observations were made on 8-day repeat tracks to enable calibration and validation of the ICESat data products. Each profile consists of a series of single point values derived from centroid elevations of an $\approx$70 m diameter laser footprint. The points are separated by $\approx$172 m along track. Data sets of 8-day observations (an ascending and descending ground track) crossed the Bering and Malaspina Glacier. Following its 1993--1995 surge, the Bering Glacier has undergone major terminus retreat as well as ice thinning in the ablation zone. During the later part of the 20th century, parts of the Bering Glacier's piedmont lobe thinned $\ge5$ m/yr, while that of the Malaspina thinned by about 1 m/yr. The multiple observation profiles across the Bering and Malaspina piedmont lobes obtained in February/March are being geolocated on Landsat-7 images and the elevation profiles will be used for a number of scientific objectives. Based on our simulations of ICESat performance over the varied ice surface of the Jakobshavn Glacier of Greenland [{\it Mitchell et al.}, 2003], we expect to measure annual, and possibly seasonal, ice elevations changes on the large southern Alaskan glaciers. Using elevation data obtained from a second laser, we plan to estimate ice elevation changes on the Bering Glacier between March and October 2003.
DE: 1640 Remote sensing
DE: 1694 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1827 Glaciology (1863)
DE: 1863 Snow and ice (1827)
DE: 4540 Ice mechanics and air/sea/ice exchange processes
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting