Remote sensing and modelling of the cryosphere in high mountain regions
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
The mountain cryosphere encompasses the frozen high-elevation environments of Earth, including glaciers, snow, permafrost, and river and lake ice. High mountain regions are essential sources of freshwater through meltwater and rainfall. High Mountain Asia, for instance, is considered the “Third Pole” for being the world’s largest reservoir of solid water outside of polar ice sheets. Due to climate change, however, high mountain regions are experiencing accelerated warming, disrupting the natural dynamics of the high mountain cryosphere. This in turn can lead to drastic transformations of regional climate, ecology, and land use, in addition to increasing risks of natural hazards such as floods, avalanches, and landslides. It is hence imperative that these regions are carefully monitored, and rapid changes can be predicted. The combination of various remote sensing techniques, from satellite imagery to field-based sensors, allows researchers to gather a wealth of data across space and time. Data is then fed into numerical models, the outputs of which can offer new insights into scientific understanding of the cryosphere in high mountain regions, as well as improve hazard risk assessment and mitigation.
This Collection offers a platform for original research of the cryosphere in high mountain regions. It welcomes studies utilizing remote sensing, machine learning, and modelling approaches, as well as multidisciplinary and integrative research (including in situ validation). Studies concerning cryospheric monitoring in data-deficient regions are especially welcomed, such as the Himalaya, Karakoram, Central Asia and Siberian high mountains, the Andes, and High Mountain Africa. We will consider contributions presenting methodological and technological advancements, modelling and simulation work, as well as application in real-world scenarios.
