ARICE Metadata Catalogue
Belcher Glacier surface and bedrock digital elevation models and ice thickness map
Improved surface and bedrock DEMs have been produced for the Belcher Glacier using data from different sources, including in situ measurements, airborne soundings, and satellite images. Surface elevation is based on 2007 (late summer) SPOT5 HRS images.
Bed elevation values are derived from surface-based ground penetrating radar soundings conducted during the 2007 and 2008 summer field seasons. Airborne radar surveys in 2000 and 2005 by the Scott Polar Research Institute and the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, respectively, provide ice thickness data. By subtracting ice thickness from surface elevation using the surface DEM, bedrock elevation values are derived. Additional bedrock elevation data for the seafloor in front of the terminus of Belcher Glacier were obtained from a bathymetric survey in 2006 by workers from Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of New Brunswick working off the CCGS Amundsen.
A 40-m grid is used as a map base. Bed elevation values were found for each point on the grid by applying a kernel that weighted values of surrounding points by distance. After finding a suitable semivariogram model, statistical interpolation (kriging) was performed to fill in the rest of the grid points to produce the bedrock DEM. As a check, a 1999 Landsat panchromatic image was used to force bedrock elevation to equal surface elevation within the boundaries of rock outcrops and thus ensure that ice thickness is zero throughout.
Simple
- Date (Publication)
- 2012-06-08
- Other citation details
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Clavano, W.R. and J. Kavanaugh, Belcher Glacier surface and bedrock digital elevation models and ice thickness map, Canadian IPY/GLACIODYN, 2012.
- Purpose
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Digital elevation models (DEMs) for the surface and bedrock topography of the Belcher Glacier have been developed using SPOT5 HRS and Landsat 7 ETM+ images, bathymetric information, and airborne and surface-based ground penetrating radar soundings with coincident GPS surface elevation records. An ice thickness map has also been produced from the DEMs. These will be used in mass balance studies, ice dynamics modelling, and hydrologic modelling. Additional information can be found at the following link: http://people.uleth.ca/~sarah.boon/IPY_page/dems.html
- Status
- Completed
Canadian Cryospheric Information Network
-Polar Data Catalogue
200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo
,Waterloo
,Ontario
,N2L 3G1
,Canada
polardata.ca
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Polar Data Catalogue Thesaurus (Canada)
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Bedrock
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Climate change
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Devon Island
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Glaciers
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GPS
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Ground penetrating radar
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Ice
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Images
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Statistics
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Surface
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- Place
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Belcher Glacier, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada
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- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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Terms of Use of the Polar Data Catalogue: https://www.polardata.ca/pdcinput/public/termsofuse
- Metadata language
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eng; CAN
- Topic category
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- Environment
))
- Begin date
- 2007-11-01
- End date
- 2009-10-31
- Supplemental Information
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Summary: Surface and bedrock elevation and ice thickness are provided for the Belcher Glacier in a 40-m grid. Full coverage of the entire drainage area is available for surface elevation. The bedrock digital elevation model (DEM) covers the main trunk of the glacier as well as its three main (with strong ice surface velocities) tributaries. Measurements from in situ GPS records (not differentially corrected) and satellite altimetry (ICESat) agree well with surface elevation values (to within about 15 meters). Bed elevation values from processed radargrams of GPR surveys have depth-dependent uncertainties that increase to a maximum of 9 m for an ice thickness of 800 m, assuming that the correct bedrock reflection horizon is tracked. Signals vanish at estimated thicknesses beyond 600 m. However, using the airborne data, ice thicknesses greater than 600 m have been observed. Errors in these areas will depend on the interpretation of valley shape by manually connecting visible horizons. These errors can be as much as 100 m (but can vary by 300 m between different interpreters). Reliable checks for valley shape continuity have been the rock outcrop elevations from the SPOT DEM, boundaries of which have been produced from processing a 1999 Landsat panchromatic image mosaic. Uncertainties in the interpolation results increase with increasing distance from an input point.
The resulting product of this work includes SPIRIT program material copyright CNES 2009 and SPOT Image 2007, all rights reserved. Research Program(s): IPY. For further information: martin.sharp@ualberta.ca martin.sharp@ualberta.ca
- Distribution format
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Digital file
(1.0
)
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Canadian Cryospheric Information Network
-Polar Data Catalogue
200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo
,Waterloo
,Ontario
,N2L 3G1
,Canada
- Included with dataset
- No
- File identifier
- c40e5a40-4d41-4f40-a937-fc43f5e6b507 XML
- Metadata language
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eng; CAN
- Character set
- UTF8
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Date stamp
- 2022-04-08T13:00:26
- Metadata standard name
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North American Profile of ISO 19115:2003
- Metadata standard version
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2009-01-01
Canadian Cryospheric Information Network
-Polar Data Catalogue
200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo
,Waterloo
,Ontario
,N2L 3G1
,Canada
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