Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry

The Kolka Glacier, which rushed down the Genaldon valley on September 20, 2002 (North Ossetia), is now recovering after this catastrophe. One of the most important ways to predict a new disaster is to determine the rate of ice accumulation of the new glacier and to monitor the glacier volume regular...

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Main Authors: K. A. Aristov, D. A. Petrakov, N. V. Kovalenko, S. A. Timonin, A. A. Kolchin, V. N. Drobyshev
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Nauka 2019-03-01
Series:Лëд и снег
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Online Access:https://ice-snow.igras.ru/jour/article/view/540
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author K. A. Aristov
D. A. Petrakov
N. V. Kovalenko
S. A. Timonin
A. A. Kolchin
V. N. Drobyshev
author_facet K. A. Aristov
D. A. Petrakov
N. V. Kovalenko
S. A. Timonin
A. A. Kolchin
V. N. Drobyshev
author_sort K. A. Aristov
collection DOAJ
description The Kolka Glacier, which rushed down the Genaldon valley on September 20, 2002 (North Ossetia), is now recovering after this catastrophe. One of the most important ways to predict a new disaster is to determine the rate of ice accumulation of the new glacier and to monitor the glacier volume regularly, since its trigger mechanisms have not yet been fully studied. Recent changes of the Kolka Glacier were investigated by means of ground stereoscopic photography. The field works were carried out in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Shooting was made manually with a digital camera Canon 5D Mark II (without using a tripod) at arbitrary points, the distance between which did not exceed 100 m. The reference points were placed on the elevated relief forms on the glacier surface and coordinated by a differential GNSS receiver in the "fast static" mode. Laboratory processing of the photos was performed using Agisoft Photoscan software in automatic mode, except for the procedure of identification of reference points on stereo images. The processing made possible to obtain digital models of the glacier surface in Geo-TIFF format, the vertical error of which amounted to 0.7 m, while the horizontal one – 2.3 m. In 2014–2017, the maximal increase in height of the surface (up to 30 m) was recorded in the low part of the glacier tongue that was the result of advancing of the Kolka front along the ice-free surface. Mean annual increase in the surface elevation was equal to 2.2 m/year. Lowering of the surface in some areas may be explained by the slowing-down of the glacier flow rate, which led to the appearance of thermokarst. The glacier volume increased by 7.4±0.7 million m3. As a result, the glacier tongue advanced by 50–70 m. Average over 2014–2017 increasing in the surface elevation (2.2 m/year) was slightly smaller than in 2004–2014 (3 m/year). Quick growth of the Kolka Gacier contrasts sharply with decreasing of volume of the representative Caucasus, Djankuat and Garabashi, over the same period.
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institution Kabale University
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language Russian
publishDate 2019-03-01
publisher Nauka
record_format Article
series Лëд и снег
spelling doaj-art-4d12c7cacb7740c68ad2c620bb03d0f42025-08-20T03:59:48ZrusNaukaЛëд и снег2076-67342412-37652019-03-01591495810.15356/2076-6734-2019-1-49-58402Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetryK. A. Aristov0D. A. Petrakov1N. V. Kovalenko2S. A. Timonin3A. A. Kolchin4V. N. Drobyshev5Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityLomonosov Moscow State UniversityLomonosov Moscow State UniversityHigher School of EconomicsLomonosov Moscow State UniversityVladikavkaz Scientific Centre of the RAS and the Government of the Republic of North Ossetia–AlaniaThe Kolka Glacier, which rushed down the Genaldon valley on September 20, 2002 (North Ossetia), is now recovering after this catastrophe. One of the most important ways to predict a new disaster is to determine the rate of ice accumulation of the new glacier and to monitor the glacier volume regularly, since its trigger mechanisms have not yet been fully studied. Recent changes of the Kolka Glacier were investigated by means of ground stereoscopic photography. The field works were carried out in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Shooting was made manually with a digital camera Canon 5D Mark II (without using a tripod) at arbitrary points, the distance between which did not exceed 100 m. The reference points were placed on the elevated relief forms on the glacier surface and coordinated by a differential GNSS receiver in the "fast static" mode. Laboratory processing of the photos was performed using Agisoft Photoscan software in automatic mode, except for the procedure of identification of reference points on stereo images. The processing made possible to obtain digital models of the glacier surface in Geo-TIFF format, the vertical error of which amounted to 0.7 m, while the horizontal one – 2.3 m. In 2014–2017, the maximal increase in height of the surface (up to 30 m) was recorded in the low part of the glacier tongue that was the result of advancing of the Kolka front along the ice-free surface. Mean annual increase in the surface elevation was equal to 2.2 m/year. Lowering of the surface in some areas may be explained by the slowing-down of the glacier flow rate, which led to the appearance of thermokarst. The glacier volume increased by 7.4±0.7 million m3. As a result, the glacier tongue advanced by 50–70 m. Average over 2014–2017 increasing in the surface elevation (2.2 m/year) was slightly smaller than in 2004–2014 (3 m/year). Quick growth of the Kolka Gacier contrasts sharply with decreasing of volume of the representative Caucasus, Djankuat and Garabashi, over the same period.https://ice-snow.igras.ru/jour/article/view/540glacial disaastersground stereoscopic photographythe kolka glaciermonitoring of volume change
spellingShingle K. A. Aristov
D. A. Petrakov
N. V. Kovalenko
S. A. Timonin
A. A. Kolchin
V. N. Drobyshev
Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
Лëд и снег
glacial disaasters
ground stereoscopic photography
the kolka glacier
monitoring of volume change
title Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
title_full Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
title_fullStr Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
title_short Monitoring of Kolka Glacier in 2014–2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
title_sort monitoring of kolka glacier in 2014 2017 by terrestrial stereophotogrammetry
topic glacial disaasters
ground stereoscopic photography
the kolka glacier
monitoring of volume change
url https://ice-snow.igras.ru/jour/article/view/540
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AT satimonin monitoringofkolkaglacierin20142017byterrestrialstereophotogrammetry
AT aakolchin monitoringofkolkaglacierin20142017byterrestrialstereophotogrammetry
AT vndrobyshev monitoringofkolkaglacierin20142017byterrestrialstereophotogrammetry