Abstract
Abstract. Rock glaciers are a prominent component of many alpine landscapes and
constitute a significant water resource in some arid mountain
environments. Here, we employ satellite-based interferometric synthetic
aperture radar (InSAR) between 2016 and 2019 to identify and monitor active
and transitional rock glaciers in the Uinta Mountains (Utah, USA), an area of
∼3000 km2. We used mean velocity maps to generate an
inventory for the Uinta Mountains containing 205 active and transitional rock
glaciers. These rock glaciers are 11.9 ha in area on average and
located at a mean elevation of 3308 m, where mean annual air
temperature is −0.25 ∘C. The mean downslope velocity for the
inventory is 1.94 cm yr−1, but individual rock glaciers have velocities ranging from
0.35 to 6.04 cm yr−1. To search for relationships with climatic
drivers, we investigated the time-dependent motion of three rock glaciers. We
found that rock glacier motion has a significant seasonal component, with
rates that are more than 5 times faster during the late summer compared to the
rest of the year. Rock glacier velocities also appear to be correlated with
the snow water equivalent of the previous winter's snowpack. Our results
demonstrate the ability to use satellite InSAR to monitor rock glaciers over
large areas and provide insight into the environmental factors that control
their kinematics.
Funder
Directorate for Geosciences
Subject
Earth-Surface Processes,Water Science and Technology
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