Brief communication: Updated GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Author: A. Sakai
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2019
• Subjects: geo; envir; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2043-2019; https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/2043/2019/tc-13-2043-2019.pdf; https://doaj.org/article/d9bf1962d815492ea6c41bfc7fe3566b

The original Glacier Area Mapping for Discharge from the Asian Mountains (GAMDAM) glacier inventory was the first methodologically consistent dataset for high-mountain Asia. Nonetheless, the GAMDAM inventory underestimated glacier area, as it did not include steep ice- and snow-covered slopes or shaded components. During revision of the inventory, Landsat imagery free of shadow, cloud, and seasonal snow cover was selected for the period 1990–2010, after which >90 % of the glacier area was delineated. The updated GAMDAM inventory, comprised of 453 Landsat images, includes 134 770 glaciers with a total area of 100 693±11 790 km2.