Ice Thickness Distribution and Ice Volume Estimation of Muz Taw Glacier in Sawir Mountains
Huai Baojuan
Li Zhongqin
Wang Feiteng
Wang Puyu
Li Kaiming
Abstract：Ice bedrock topographic map and ice volume estimation play very important parts in glacier melt water research.Muz Taw glacier in Sawir Mountains was explored in this study by means of Landsat remote sensing image,digital elevation model data,ground penetrating radar (GPR)data and GPS positioning data.Its terminus thickness distribution was obtained by anal-ysis and simulation of thickness distribution of its transverse and vertical sections,combined with a variety of interpolation methods,on basis of which the ice volume was estimated.Results show obvious differences between the two transverse pro-files.Cross-section B 1-B 2 has typical “U”-type terrain,with maximum glacier thickness of up to 1 1 6.4 m;cross-section C 1-C 2 is relatively flat,and glacier thickness distribution is more uniform,with an average of about 70-90 m.In longitudinal profile, A 1-A 2 forms a ladder-like distribution,with an obvious depression in the middle of the ice bed topography.The average ice thickness in longitudinal profile is about 80.89 m,with maximum ice thickness of 122.67 m.The ice bed topographic map is in sharp contrast with the thickness contour map of the glacier.In addition,there is obvious cirque terrain at an altitude of 3 240 m and 3 280 m.The preliminary estimation of the average thickness and total terminus ice volume are approximately 60.5 m and 0.1 95 km3 ,respectively.It is concluded that GPR method has higher accuracy compared with the traditional ice vol-ume estimation method,but it has restrictions because of measurement difficulties.
Keywords：ice thicknessice volumeice bedrock topographic mapground penetrating radar systemsMuz Taw glacierSaw-ir Mountains
Publication Date：2016-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 757-764 )