Temporal fluctuations of siachen glacier velocity: a repeat pass sar interferometry based approach

Abstract

Glacier velocity, the glacier's health indicator, is an emerging research interest in global warming among the scientific community over the current decade. As per scientific reports, due to their stable and advanced nature, the glaciers of Karakoram are exclusive. The present study focuses on understanding the temporal velocity variability of the Siachen Glacier, Shyok Basin, Karakoram using SAR datasets, in the perspective of the difficulties in estimating the glacier velocity over the inaccessible Karakoram Mountain. For the hydrological year 2017-18, 30 sentinel-1 derived interferograms using the DInSAR technique were analyzed to obtain Line Of Sight velocity. The transient velocity of the glacier reflects separate patterns within the glacier for different seasons due to the thermodynamic and orographic system over the glacier surface. In azimuth and range direction, the projected annual LOS velocity to a two-dimensional surface velocity is estimated to be around 103.8 ± 3.1 m/year.

Keywords:

• SAR
• Karakoram
• InSAR
• LOS Displacement
• GMTSAR

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and cooperation given by Dr.KrishnaVenkatesh, Director, Centre For Incubation, Innovation, Research and Consultancy (CIIRC) - Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The dataset utilized/analyzed during the current study will be available from the corresponding author upon request.

Ethical statement

All ethical practices have been followed in relation to the development, data analysis, writing, and publication of this research article.

Consent to publish

The datasets used in the present study are open access datasets downloaded from ESA Data hub and USGS Earth explorer and the results are generated by the author in the laboratory. None of the data used belongs to any individual person in any form.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Strategic Programmes Large Initiatives and Coordinated Action Enabler - Climate Change Program (SPLICE-CCP), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under National Network Program on Himalayan Cryosphere with the project no. DST/CCP/NHC/156/2018(G).