Abstract
Abstract. Remote sensors face challenges in characterizing mountain permafrost and ground thermal conditions or mapping rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers. We explore the potential of thermal imaging and in particular thermal inertia mapping in mountain cryospheric research, focusing on the relationships between ground surface temperatures and the presence of ice-debris landforms on one side and land surface temperature (LST) and apparent thermal inertia (ATI) on the other. In our case study we utilize ASTER daytime and nighttime imagery and in-situ measurements of near-surface ground temperature (NSGT) in the Mediterranean Andes during a snow-free and dry observation period in late summer. Spatial patterns of LST and NSGT were mostly consistent with each other both at daytime and at nighttime. Daytime LST over ice-debris landforms was decreased and ATI consequently increased compared to other debris surfaces under otherwise equal conditions, but NSGT showed contradictory results, which underlines the complexity and possible scale dependence of ATI in heterogeneous substrates with the presence of a thermal mismatch and a heat sink at depth. While our results demonstrate the utility of thermal imaging and ATI mapping in a mountain cryospheric context, further research is needed for a better interpretation of ATI patterns in complex thermophysical conditions.
Highlights
Rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers are distinct types of ice-debris landforms and elements of the mountain cryosphere in which the high ice contents are not visible at the surface, creating challenges to remotely-sensed mapping of these features (Janke, 2001; Paul et al, 2004; Bolch et al, 2008; Kargel et al, 2005; Brenning, 2009; Shukla et al, 2010)
We explore the utility of remotely-sensed land surface temperature (LST) and derived apparent thermal inertia (ATI) for thermally characterizing and discriminating periglacial mountain environments, rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers
We demonstrate this approach utilizing ASTER daytime and nighttime data in a study area in the Andes of Central Chile, where in-situ near-surface ground temperature (NSGT) measurements are available for comparison with remotely-sensed LST (Bodin et al, 2010a; Apaloo et al, 2012)
Summary
Rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers are distinct types of ice-debris landforms and elements of the mountain cryosphere in which the high ice contents are not visible at the surface, creating challenges to remotely-sensed mapping of these features (Janke, 2001; Paul et al, 2004; Bolch et al, 2008; Kargel et al, 2005; Brenning, 2009; Shukla et al, 2010). We explore the utility of remotely-sensed land surface temperature (LST) and derived apparent thermal inertia (ATI) for thermally characterizing and discriminating periglacial mountain environments, rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers. We demonstrate this approach utilizing ASTER daytime and nighttime data in a study area in the Andes of Central Chile, where in-situ near-surface ground temperature (NSGT) measurements are available for comparison with remotely-sensed LST (Bodin et al, 2010a; Apaloo et al, 2012). LST is closely related to the atmospheric temperature of the layer immediately above the surface (Nichol, 1996; Hafner and Kidder, 1999; Weng and Quattrochi, 2006), there are other influences as well (Hartz et al, 2006; Pena, 2009)
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