Glacier measurements are important for hydrological studies, but are difficult to measure from the ground. We show that dense, wide-area flow measurements can be made from ERS Tandem Mission data, as long as the surface of the glacier is stable. The necessary stability conditions occur when the temperature is below freezing and no precipitation or strong winds occur during the observation interval. Differential interferometry requires that the phase due to topography be removed from the phase due to motion in the interferogram. Then, by assuming a given glacier flow direction, the LOS motion can be projected to the proper flow direction.
Glaciological studies are now underway to understand the physics behind the detailed observed flows.
Differential interferometry, Glacier flow measurements Go to Table of Contents of this paper. Glacier Flow Measurements with ERS Tandem Mission Data Table of Contents Go to Top of Page 1. Glacier Measurements 3. The Columbia Icefield 4. The Convair-580 DEM 4.3 Removing Topo Phase from the Interferogram 5.