Tropical Glacier Volume Changes

Overview

While observations of terminus retreat has shown that tropical glaciers are receding, quantifying the total volume loss remains a critical challenge to understand climate forcing and hydrological impact. Moreover, geomorphic evidence shows dramatic glacier volume changes in the past. The process and spatial extent of glacial recession is fundamentally constrained by topography, complicating the paleoclimatic interpretation of relict glacial landforms. This project utilizes state of the art surface elevation mapping (GPS, terrain analyses, aerial photography, and airborne laser swath mapping) and earth observation satellite technology (including radar altimetry), in conjunction with ongoing field studies, to systematically quantify recent (late 20th century) glacier volume change in the Peruvian Andes and Kilimanjaro, Africa. We also aim to analyze the topographic context of late-glacial to modern volume change in valley-specific localities throughout the global tropics.