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70 years of high-resolution glacier surface elevation records derived from historical aerial photography across Western North America
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  • Friedrich Knuth,
  • David Shean,
  • Eli Schwat,
  • Shashank Bhushan
Friedrich Knuth
University of Washington

Corresponding Author:knuth@uw.edu

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David Shean
University of Washington
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Eli Schwat
University of Washington
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Shashank Bhushan
University of Washington,University of Washington
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Abstract

We present interannual to decadal glacier and geomorphic change measurements at multiple sites across Western North America from the 1950s until present. Glacierized study sites differ in terms of glacial geometry and climatology, from continental mountains (e.g., Glacier National Park) to maritime stratovolcanoes (e.g., Mt. Rainier). Quantitative measurements of glacier and land surface change are obtained using the Historical Structure from Motion (HSfM) package. The automated HSfM processing pipeline can derive high-resolution (0.5-2.0 m) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and orthomosaics from historical aerial photography, without manual ground control point selection. All DEMs are co-registered to modern airborne lidar and commercial satellite stereo reference DEMs to accurately measure geodetic surface elevation change and uncertainty. We use scanned historical images from the USGS North American Glacier Aerial Photography (NAGAP) archive and other aerial photography campaigns from the USGS EROS Aerial Photo Single Frames archive. We examine the impact of regional climate forcing on glacier volume change and dynamics using downscaled climate reanalysis products. By augmenting the record of quantitative glacier change measurements and better understanding the relationship between climate forcing and heterogeneous glacier response patterns, we aim to improve our understanding of regional glacier mass change, as well as inform management decisions impacting downstream water resources, ecosystem management, and geohazard risks.