A world atlas to characterise the response of glaciers to climate change

In collaboration with Romain Hugonnet and Etienne Berthier from LEGOS (Toulouse), researchers from IGE, Antoine Rabatel and Romain Millan, recently published a synthesis (in French) of their work in the journal La Météorologie.

This synthesis reports on recent advances in satellite remote sensing for observing glaciers worldwide with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.

Exemples de cartes de vitesse d’écoulement en surface des glaciers. Les vitesses d’écoulement (en mètres par an) sont représentées en trois dimensions et sur une échelle de couleur logarithmique. La carte du monde au centre indique la position géographique des massifs englacés illustrés sur les vues en 3D.

 

The article also presents the current challenges to continue the developments on these satellite obsevations and the future space missions envisaged. Glacier products include ice thickness and distribution, glacier surface flow velocities, and glacier thinning rates over the period 2000-2020 and 5- and 10-year subperiods. These products provide a better understanding of glacier dynamics on a global scale, offering a perspective never before available. Moreover, they constitute an essential database for the initialization of glaciological models, and their validation, in order to simulate more precisely the future contribution of glaciers to the sea level and to the hydrological functioning of glaciated watersheds.

These products are made available to the international community through the Scientific Expertise Center "Glaciers", set up and coordinated by Antoine Rabatel in the framework of the national data pole THEIA.

In parallel with this synthesis, Antoine Rabatel and Romain Millan wrote a tribute to Jérémie Mouginot in the same journal, in collaboration with Pierre Beck (IPAG), Eric Rignot (UC, Irvine) and Mathieu Morlighem (Darthmouth College). This article pays tribute to Mouginot’s career, highlighting his contribution to planetary science and glaciology.

Both articles are available online.


Authors : Antoine Rabatel et Romain Millan - 03/03/2023