气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry

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DOI	10.5194/tc-11-997-2017
	Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry
	Wang X.; Liu L.; Zhao L.; Wu T.; Li Z.; Liu G.
发表日期	2017
ISSN	19940416
卷号	11 期号:2
英文摘要	Rock glaciers are widespread in the Tien Shan. However, rock glaciers in the Chinese part of the Tien Shan have not been systematically investigated for more than 2 decades. In this study, we propose a new method that combines SAR interferometry and optical images from Google Earth to map active rock glaciers (ARGs) in the northern Tien Shan (NTS) of China. We compiled an inventory that includes 261 ARGs and quantitative information about their locations, geomorphic parameters, and downslope velocities. Our inventory shows that most of the ARGs are moraine-derived (69 %) and facing northeast (56 %). The altitude distribution of ARGs in the western NTS is significantly different from those located in the eastern part. The downslope velocities of the ARGs vary significantly in space, with a maximum of about 114 cm yr-1 and a mean of about 37 cm yr-1. Using the ARG locations as a proxy for the extent of alpine permafrost, our inventory suggests that the lowest altitudinal limit for the presence of permafrost in the NTS is about 2500-2800 m, a range determined by the lowest ARG in the entire inventory and by a statistics-based estimation. The successful application of the proposed method would facilitate effective and robust efforts to map rock glaciers over mountain ranges globally. This study provides an important dataset to improve mapping and modeling permafrost occurrence in vast western China. © Author(s) 2017.
学科领域	alpine environment; altitude; data set; image analysis; interferometry; inventory; mapping; moraine; permafrost; rock glacier; satellite data; spatial distribution; synthetic aperture radar; Tien Shan
语种	英语
scopus关键词	alpine environment; altitude; data set; image analysis; interferometry; inventory; mapping; moraine; permafrost; rock glacier; satellite data; spatial distribution; synthetic aperture radar; Tien Shan
来源期刊	Cryosphere
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/119410
作者单位	Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China; Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Wang X.,Liu L.,Zhao L.,et al. Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry[J],2017,11(2).
APA	Wang X.,Liu L.,Zhao L.,Wu T.,Li Z.,&Liu G..(2017).Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry.Cryosphere,11(2).
MLA	Wang X.,et al."Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry".Cryosphere 11.2(2017).