Open AccessRapid ASTER imaging facilitates timely assessment of glacier hazards and disasters
Author(s) -
Kääb Andy,
Wessels Rick,
Haeberli Wilfried,
Huggel Christian,
Kargel Jeffrey S.,
Khalsa Siri Jodha Singh
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo130001
Subject(s) - glacier , permafrost , human settlement , hazard , advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer , physical geography , natural hazard , climate change , cryosphere , hazard analysis , settlement (finance) , remote sensing , rock glacier , environmental resource management , environmental science , geology , earth science , geography , meteorology , climatology , oceanography , computer science , digital elevation model , archaeology , engineering , sea ice , ecology , world wide web , biology , payment , aerospace engineering
Glacier‐ and permafrost‐related hazards increasingly threaten human lives, settlements, and infrastructure in high‐mountain regions. Present atmospheric warming particularly affects terrestrial systems where surface and sub‐surface ice are involved. Changes in glacier and permafrost equilibrium are shifting beyond historical knowledge. Human settlement and activities are extending toward danger zones in the cryospheric system. A number of recent glacier hazards and disasters underscore these trends. Difficult site access and the need for fast data acquisition make satellite remote sensing of crucial importance in high‐mountain hazard management and disaster mapping.