Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry

Wang, Xiaowen; Liu, Lin; Zhao, Lin; Wu, Tonghua; Li, Zhongqin; Liu, Guoxiang

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-997-2017

Articles | Volume 11, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-997-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-997-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 11, issue 2

Research article

|

20 Apr 2017

Research article |

| 20 Apr 2017

Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry

Xiaowen Wang, Lin Liu, Lin Zhao, Tonghua Wu, Zhongqin Li, and Guoxiang Liu

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-997-2017-supplement

Data sets

Mapping and inventorying active rock glaciers in the northern Tien Shan of China using satellite SAR interferometry X. Wang, L. Liu, L. Zhao, T. Wu, Z. Li, Zhongqin, G. Liu https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.874616

Short summary

Rock glaciers are abundant in high mountains in western China but have been ignored for 20 years. We used a new remote-sensing-based method to map active rock glaciers in the Chinese part of the Tien Shan and compiled an inventory of 261 active rock glaciers and included quantitative information about their locations, geomorphic parameters, and downslope velocities. Our dataset suggests that the lower limit of permafrost there is 2500–2800 m.