Surface heights and crevasse morphologies of surging and fast-moving glaciers from ICESat-2 laser altimeter data - Application of the density-dimension algorithm (DDA-ice) and evaluation using airborne altimeter and Planet SkySat data

Abstract

NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite ICESat-2, launched September 15, 2018, carries the first space-borne multi-beam micro-pulse photon-counting laser altimeter system, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS). Observations from ATLAS are acquired in three pairs of weak and strong beams with 0.7 ​m nominal along-track spacing (under clear-sky conditions). The recording of the observations as a photon point cloud, which includes signal and background/noise events, requires a dedicated algorithm for identification of signal photons and determination of surface heights. The objectives of this paper are to demonstrate that measurements from ICESat-2 allow determination of heights over heavily crevassed ice surfaces and yield elevation profiles that present morphological characteristics that are typical of fast-moving and accelerating glaciers. Surface-height determination from the photon point cloud is facilitated by the density-dimension algorithm for ice surfaces, the DDA-ice. The DDA-ice returns surface heights at the 0.7 ​m sensor resolution for strong and weak beams, it utilizes a radial basis function for data aggregation and automatically adapts to changing environmental conditions and background characteristics, including time of day and apparent surface reflectance. In contrast, the official Land-Ice Along-Track Height Product, ATL06, provides surface heights at 40 ​m resolution with 20 ​m postings. The DDA-ice signal classification consistently identifies photons from complex reflectors in both the strong and weak ATLAS beams and hence constitutes a significant advance over the signal classification on the ATL03 Global Geolocated Photons Product. Results are evaluated using (1) airborne laser altimeter data collected during our ICESat-2 validation campaign over Negribreen, Svalbard, during surge, and (2) high-resolution (0.72 ​m or 0.86 ​m) satellite image data from Planet SkySat acquired over Ilulissat Ice Stream (Jakobshavn Isbræ), Greenland. Using DDA-ice analysis, ICESat-2 data allow discrimination of ice-surface types from surging glaciers (Negribreen) and continuously fast-moving and accelerating glaciers (Jakobshavn Isbræ) based on morphological characteristics.

Keywords

• Laser altimetry
• Density-dimension algorithm
• ICESat-2
• Glaciology
• Glacier surging
• Planet SkySat imagery