HR: 11:20h
AN: C12A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Assessment of Melt Lakes in Greenland
AU: * Adler, J
EM: john.adler@colorado.edu
AF: CIRES, Univ of Colorado at Boulder, CIRES Bldg, Room 318 Main Campus Univ of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
AU: Steffen, K
EM: konrad.steffen@colorado.edu
AF: CIRES, Univ of Colorado at Boulder, CIRES Bldg, Room 318 Main Campus Univ of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
AB: The objective of this August 2007 week-long test campaign was to assess the viability of supraglacial lake depths with high-resolution hyperspectral measurements. The knowledge of melt lake depth is essential in determining the volume of water which forms on top of glacial surfaces during the annual melt season. The assessment of melt water volume is a crucial input parameter for modeling the Greenland ice sheet dynamics. UAS operations were flown out of western Greenland. Preliminary results from five hyperspectral data cubes are presented, indicating that supraglacial water depths can be determined from low altitude, high-resolution hyperspectral imaging. The pixel resolution of the hyperspectral sensor is 0.2 meters at an altitude of 300 meters above the ice surface; this provides accuracy that is two orders of magnitude better than imagery obtained by the MODIS sensor or other similar satellite-based methods. Further, a UAS-based hyperspectral approach enables the measurement of supraglacial lake depths under most cloud cover conditions. The capabilities of three UAS types (Manta, Silver Fox, and electric Silver Fox) flight tested in Greenland are discussed. Also, we present future field planning (2008 and 2009) to measure supraglacial lake depths with hyperspectral imagery in conjunction with a green laser altimeter.
DE: 0746 Lakes (9345)
DE: 0748 Ponds
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting