Inferring ice-flow directions from single ice-sheet surface images using the Radon transform

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Roberts, JL, Warner, RC, Treverrow, A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Int Glaciol Soc 2013
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience; Glaciology; East Antarctica; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J042; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/83215

We present a new method for extracting the direction of surface flow for ice sheets, based onthe detection of flow-induced features that are visible in satellite imagery. The orientation of linearfeatures is determined using a Radon transform and only requires a single image. The technique isdemonstrated by applying it to the RADARSAT mosaic of Antarctica, over the Lambert GlacierAmery IceShelf region of East Antarctica. Comparisons with both existing flow-direction fields and tracedstreamlines over the same area provide an evaluation of the method. We also illustrate its application toLandsat 7 imagery.