Glacier retreat in Peruvian Andes between 2000 and 2018

Abstract

The cryosphere represents the largest reservoir of fresh water on the Earth and because of current global climate trends, glacier retreat is an issue of contemporary concern as it may drive long lasting effects on climate, impact water availability for consumption, agriculture, and the generation of hydroelectric energy, and increase the likelihood of natural disasters. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometer stereo imaging in the optical range (ASTER) and Repeat-pass bi-static Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (SAR) data of elevation changes of glaciers in Peruvian Andes, available at the Fluctuations of Glaciers (FoG) Database, were analysed to determine whether they detect glacier elevation changes of Peruvian Andes occurred between 2000 and 2018 and perform equally in the detection task. Analyses revealed significant elevation changes between 2000 and 2018 irrespective of the remote sensing technique that was employed to study them. Additionally, when these elevation changes were compared by the remote sensing technique, those registered by ASTER were larger than those registered by SAR but the effect size was small.