Continuous glacier mass changes in High Mountain Asia based on
ICESat-1,2 and GRACE/GRACE Follow-on data
Abstract
Glacier melt in High Mountain Asia (HMA) is an indicator of climate
change, and has a major impact on the regional hydrology and freshwater
supply. We determined the recent states of the HMA glaciers based on the
first analysis of Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)
data. We used the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and
GRACE-FO data to fill the gap of ICESat-1,2 and carry out an independent
validation. The agreement between ICESat-1,2 and GRACE/GRACE-FO data at
the total and regional scales demonstrates the high reliability of
results. Based on ICESat-1,2, the total mass change of the HMA glaciers
is -28 {plus minus} 6 Gt yr-1 from 2003-2019, which are more negative
than stereo imagery based literature. The spatial variability of the
glacier indicates rapid thinning in Nyaingentanglha but a slight
increase in West Kunlun. ICESat-2 enable new insight into the continuous
measurement of the HMA glacier.