Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard

We present a practically simple methodology for tracking glacier surge onset and evolution using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence. Detecting surges early and monitoring their build-up is interesting for a multitude of scientific and safety-related aspects. We show that InSA...

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Main Authors: Erik Schytt Mannerfelt, Thomas Schellenberger, Andreas M. Kääb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Glaciology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143025000279/type/journal_article
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author Erik Schytt Mannerfelt
Thomas Schellenberger
Andreas M. Kääb
author_facet Erik Schytt Mannerfelt
Thomas Schellenberger
Andreas M. Kääb
author_sort Erik Schytt Mannerfelt
collection DOAJ
description We present a practically simple methodology for tracking glacier surge onset and evolution using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence. Detecting surges early and monitoring their build-up is interesting for a multitude of scientific and safety-related aspects. We show that InSAR coherence maps allow the detection of surge-related instability on Svalbard many years before being detectable by, for instance, feature tracking or crevasse detection. Furthermore, we present derived data for two types of surges; down- and up-glacier propagating, with interestingly consistent surge propagation and post-surge relaxation rates. The method works well on Svalbard glaciers, and the data and core principle suggest a global applicability.
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issn 0022-1430
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language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format Article
series Journal of Glaciology
spelling doaj-art-2ebeff91e61742dc8b3ad20d5e5d4e9f2025-08-20T02:28:46ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522025-01-017110.1017/jog.2025.27Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from SvalbardErik Schytt Mannerfelt0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9146-557XThomas Schellenberger1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2501-3700Andreas M. Kääb2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6017-6564Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Arctic Geology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, NorwayDepartment of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayWe present a practically simple methodology for tracking glacier surge onset and evolution using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence. Detecting surges early and monitoring their build-up is interesting for a multitude of scientific and safety-related aspects. We show that InSAR coherence maps allow the detection of surge-related instability on Svalbard many years before being detectable by, for instance, feature tracking or crevasse detection. Furthermore, we present derived data for two types of surges; down- and up-glacier propagating, with interestingly consistent surge propagation and post-surge relaxation rates. The method works well on Svalbard glaciers, and the data and core principle suggest a global applicability.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143025000279/type/journal_articleglacier surgesice dynamicsInSARremote sensing
spellingShingle Erik Schytt Mannerfelt
Thomas Schellenberger
Andreas M. Kääb
Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
Journal of Glaciology
glacier surges
ice dynamics
InSAR
remote sensing
title Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
title_full Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
title_fullStr Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
title_full_unstemmed Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
title_short Tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric SAR coherence—examples from Svalbard
title_sort tracking glacier surge evolution using interferometric sar coherence examples from svalbard
topic glacier surges
ice dynamics
InSAR
remote sensing
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143025000279/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT erikschyttmannerfelt trackingglaciersurgeevolutionusinginterferometricsarcoherenceexamplesfromsvalbard
AT thomasschellenberger trackingglaciersurgeevolutionusinginterferometricsarcoherenceexamplesfromsvalbard
AT andreasmkaab trackingglaciersurgeevolutionusinginterferometricsarcoherenceexamplesfromsvalbard