Description of a program for SAR investigation of the Greenland ice sheet and an example of margin change detection using SAR

Abstract

Comprehensive coverage of the Greenland ice sheet by ERS-1 SAR will allow us to map the boundaries of snow facies on the ice sheet and investigate recent changes in the ice margin. We will use geo-referenced images to map the current boundaries of snow facies, providing a baseline which can be used to detect future change. We demonstrate the utility of SAR for detecting recent changes in the ice margin. SAR images clearly show the ice edge, moraines, and ice marginal lakes. These features can be compared with published maps and earlier images in order to document changes in the margin of the ice sheet. We show evidence for recession of a section of the western margin of the ice sheet. -from Authors