ICESat-2: Next generation estimates of glacier mass change

Changes in glaciers outside of the ice sheets have significant consequences for sea level rise, river, lake and fjord biogeochemistry, and availability of downstream water resources. Despite their importance, estimates of glacier mass change are challenged by sparse/biased in situ networks that limit the utility of regional and global extrapolations, confounding water and solid earth mass change signals that complicate retrievals with satellite gravimetry, and complex terrain that challenges retrievals with satellite altimetry. ICESat-2, with its three beam pairs, continuous along-track acquisition, small footprint, and exceptional accuracy, has the potential to revolutionize the measurement and attribution of global fluctuations in glacier mass. Here we present first results of regional glacier mass changes derived from ICESat and ICESat-2 laser altimetry.

This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. © California Institute of Technology. Government Sponsorship acknowledged.