Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3699-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3699-2021
Research article
 | 
06 Aug 2021
Research article |  | 06 Aug 2021

Analyzing glacier retreat and mass balances using aerial and UAV photogrammetry in the Ötztal Alps, Austria

Joschka Geissler, Christoph Mayer, Juilson Jubanski, Ulrich Münzer, and Florian Siegert

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Cited articles

Abermann, J., Lambrecht, A., Fischer, A., and Kuhn, M.: Quantifying changes and trends in glacier area and volume in the Austrian Ötztal Alps (1969-1997-2006), The Cryosphere, 3, 205–215, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-3-205-2009, 2009. 
Andreassen, L. M., Elvehøy, H., Kjøllmoen, B., and Engeset, R. V.: Reanalysis of long-term series of glaciological and geodetic mass balance for 10 Norwegian glaciers, The Cryosphere, 10, 535–552, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-535-2016, 2016. 
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW)​​​​​​​: Mass balance of the Vernagtferner, available at: https://geo.badw.de/vernagtferner-digital/massenbilanz.html, last access: 23 July 2021. 
Baltsavias, E. P., Favey, E., Bauder, A., Bosch, H., and Pateraki, M.: Digital Surface Modelling by Airborne Laser Scanning and Digital Photogrammetry for Glacier Monitoring, Photogramm. Rec., 17, 243–273, https://doi.org/10.1111/0031-868X.00182, 2001. 
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Short summary
The study demonstrates the potential of photogrammetry for analyzing glacier retreat with high spatial resolution. Twenty-three glaciers within the Ötztal Alps are analyzed. We compare photogrammetric and glaciologic mass balances of the Vernagtferner by using the ELA for our density assumption and an UAV survey for a temporal correction of the geodetic mass balances. The results reveal regions of anomalous mass balance and allow estimates of the imbalance between mass balances and ice dynamics.
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