Executive Summary of the S:GLA:MO Project

The Executive Summary of the ESA S:GLA:MO Project gives an overview of the S:GLA:MO Service concepts and answers questions such as:

• Why do we need a Service for Glacier Lake Monitoring
• What is the aim of the S:GLA:MO service
• What is the S:GLA:MO service structure
• What are the S:GLA:MO products
• Where was the S:GLA:MO service applied

S:GLA:MO Checklist for Glacier Lake Hazard Assessments

Draft S:GLA:MO Checklist for Glacier Lake Hazard Assessments presented at the GAPHAZ Workshop, September 2014, Torino and updated September 2015.

S:GLA:MO hazard checklist Poster GAPHAZ Workshop, September 2014, Torino

Poster presented at the GAPHAZ Workshop, September 2014, Torino illustrating the S:GLA:MO Checklist.

S:GLA:MO Poster EGU Assembly, May 2016, Vienna

Poster presented at the EGU Assembly, May 2016, Vienna highlighting the hazard assessment conducted in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru.

S:GLA:MO Poster GAPHAZ Workshop, September 2014, Torino

Poster presented at the GAPHAZ Workshop, September 2014, Torino introducing the S:GLA:MO Project.

S:GLA:MO Poster Living Planet Symposium, May 2016, Prague

Poster presented at the Living Planet Symposium, May 2016, Prague highlighting the link to EO data.

S:GLA:MO Terminology

In order to avoid confusion with terminology used in other fields, definitions of the terms that will be used in this project are given in the linked PDF. This terminology refers to Kääb (2008) and JCT1 (2004).

Strozzi, T., Wiesmann, A., Kääb, A., Joshi, S., and Mool, P.: Glacial lake mapping with very high resolution satellite SAR data, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 12, 2487-2498, doi:10.5194/nhess-12-2487-2012, 2012.

Abstract. Floods resulting from the outbursts of glacial lakes are among the most far-reaching disasters in high mountain regions. Glacial lakes are typically located in remote areas and space-borne remote sensing data are an important source of information about the occurrence and development of such lakes. Here we show that very high resolution satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data can be employed for reliably mapping glacial lakes. Results in the Alps, Pamir and Himalaya using TerraSAR-X and Radarsat-2 data are discussed in comparison to in-situ information, and high-resolution satellite optical and radar imagery. The performance of the satellite SAR data is best during the snow- and ice-free season. In the broader perspective of hazard management, the detection of glacial lakes and the monitoring of their changes from very high-resolution satellite SAR intensity images contributes to the initial assessment of hazards related to glacial lakes, but a more integrated, multi-level approach needs also to include other relevant information such as glacier outlines and outline changes or the identification of unstable slopes above the lake and the surrounding area, information types to which SAR analysis techniques can also contribute.