Global glacier thickness and volume estimation
Glaciers outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are at present, despite their small volume (<1 % of total global ice volume), the dominating contributor to sea level rise.
Details
- Period: 2021-01-01 – 2024-12-31
- Budget: 3,850,000 SEK
- Funder: Swedish Research Council
- Type of funding: Project Grant
Description
Assessing the impact of glaciers on sea level in a future climate requires detailed information on the present-day thickness distribution and volume. This not only provides direct information of fresh water contained in glaciers, it also provides important initial conditions for simulations of future glacier evolution. While direct measurements of glacier thickness are scarce, observations of glacier surface conditions are much more abundant and can be used as input in inverse routines to reconstruct a glacier’s basal topography and ice thickness. The aims of this project are to 1) estimate the present-day volume and thickness of all glaciers on the globe, and 2) project the future glacier contribution to sea level rise. To achieve this, an established thickness inversion method will be adapted for large-scale applications. First, the method will be used to estimate the current thickness distribution and volume of all >200,000 glaciers on Earth. A range of remote sensing and in situ observations of surface conditions and ice thickness will be employed as input and/or for model calibration. In a final experiment, the future glacier evolution will be simulated for a selection of glaciers and results will be upscaled to all glaciers worldwide to assess the 21st century sea level rise contribution.