Using an ultra-long-range terrestrial laser scanner to monitor the net mass balance of Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China, at the monthly scale

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: XU, CHUNHAI, LI, ZHONGQIN, WANG, FEITENG, LI, HUILIN, WANG, WENBIN, WANG, LIN
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2017
• Subjects: Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.45; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143017000454

ABSTRACT We describe the use of a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) to monitor the net mass balance of Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan. We used an ultra-long-range Riegl VZ ® -6000 TLS, which is specially designed for surveying snow- and ice-covered terrain, to create repeated high spatiotemporal resolution DEMs, focusing on the monthly-scale (25 April–28 May 2015) net mass balance. According to the TLS-derived DEMs, the area of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 was 1.558 km 2 on 25 April 2015 and the average surface elevation change was 0.225 m. By comparing the results from the use of TLS with the conventional glaciological mass-balance method, the correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) between glaciological elevation changes of individual stakes and the TLS-derived geodetic elevation change of corresponding points was 0.85. Considering the uncertainty of both methods, this is a promising result. Using the in situ measured snow densities (snow pits) of the glacier surface, the geodetic net mass balance was 0.074 m w.e., which is slightly positive. The mean uncertainty in the TLS-derived monthly net mass balance was 0.018 m w.e., showing that the TLS surveying system presented accurate and relevant results and is therefore suitable to monitor mass-balance evolution of mountain glaciers.