Mapping of debris-covered glaciers in Astor basin: an object-based image analysis approach

Abstract

Supraglacial debris essentially hamper the mapping of ice glaciers by remote sensing data. A semi-automatic approach for the mapping of debris covered glaciers in Astor Basin was applied, which combines the inputs from optical satellite data and the digital elevation model (DEM) data. Strong and effective pixel-based band ratios have turned out to be precise for naturally outlining clean glacier ice, however such classifications algorithm exhibit limitations in delineating debriscovered ice because of its spectral resemblance with adjacent landscape. Object based image analysis (OBIA) has risen as another examination strategy inside remote sensing. It gives a system to filter out worthless details and integrate other parts of detail into a single object, although it is also allowing contextual, shape, textural and, hierarchical principles to be used to classify imagery. Supraglacial debris-covered, snow covered glaciers and glaciated ice in Astor Basin were mapped by using Landsat 7,8 imageries gained from 2010 to 2017 and a digital elevation model (DEM) acquired from Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS).The methods offered recognized their usefulness using freely accessible reasonable resolution Landsat OLI and ALOS data. Yet, the increasing availability of high resolution imageries, improved quality and the latest digital terrain data grip the potential of enhanced image segmentation and classification from OBIA approaches.