Seasonal variation of Sedongpu glacier flow velocity derived from SAR autofocusing offset tracking

doi:10.13474/j.cnki.11-2246.2026.0702

Abstract

Abstract: [Purposes] Accurately estimating glacier velocity is of great significance for the early warning of glacier-related chain disasters such as ice avalanches and debris flows. [Methods] Traditional offset-tracking methods can capture high-gradient glacier velocities,but their accuracy is limited by the image resolution.In this study,a SAR autofocusing offset tracking method is proposed,which improves the precision of offset estimation by sacrificing temporal resolution.Using medium-resolution Sentinel-1 data,the seasonal motion characteristics of the Sedongpu glacier were extracted and analyzed,and the results were validated through comparison with high-resolution Fucheng-1 data. [Findings] The results indicate that the autofocusing method effectively retrieves glacier velocities from medium-resolution SAR data,with results consistent with those from high-resolution imagery.The eastern branch of the Sedongpu glacier exhibits significantly higher summer velocities compared to winter,whereas the western branch shows no clear seasonal variations. [Conclusions] Overall,the autofocusing method demonstrates great potential for extracting mountain glacier velocities from medium-resolution SAR data.

Key words: offset tracking, autofocusing method, Sedongpu glacier, glacier velocity, Fucheng-1

CLC Number:

P237

Liu Ying, Li Menghua, Tang Bohui. Seasonal variation of Sedongpu glacier flow velocity derived from SAR autofocusing offset tracking[J]. Bulletin of Surveying and Mapping, 2026, 0(7): 9-14.

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http://tb.chinasmp.com/EN/Y2026/V0/I7/9

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