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Water level changes at an ice‐dammed lake in west Greenland inferred from InSAR data
Author(s) -
Furuya M.,
Wahr J. M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl023458
Subject(s) - geology , water level , interferometric synthetic aperture radar , digital elevation model , radar , groenlandia , physical geography , geomorphology , geodesy , remote sensing , synthetic aperture radar , ice sheet , telecommunications , cartography , computer science , geography
We detect ground displacements around an ice‐dammed lake (Lake Tiningnilik) in west Greenland, using ERS1/2 and Envisat radar interferograms. We associate those displacements with draining episodes (jökulhlaups in Icelandic) that occurred in 1993 and 2003. We confirm those episodes in backscatter intensity images. By assuming a 7.5 meter/year increase in water level and using an elastic loading model, we predict a rate and spatial pattern for the deformation that are in good agreement with the observations. By generating digital elevation models from radar interferograms for both the drained and undrained stages, we validate the inferred lake level changes.