Articles | Volume 15, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4465-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4465-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Sep 2021
Research article |
| 24 Sep 2021
| 24 Sep 2021
Mapping seasonal glacier melt across the Hindu Kush Himalaya with time series synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
Corey Scher
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The Graduate Center,
City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The City College of New
York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
Nicholas C. Steiner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The City College of New
York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
Kyle C. McDonald
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The Graduate Center,
City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The City College of New
York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA
91001, USA
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- Monitoring glacial lake outburst flood susceptibility using Sentinel-1 SAR data, Google Earth Engine, and persistent scatterer interferometry S. Wangchuk et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112910
28 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Glacier melting phenology changes in the Tibetan Plateau from 1981 to 2020 Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109199
- A power-law relation of surface roughness and ages of alluvial fans in a hyperarid environment: A case study in the Dead Sea area Q. Su et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333221118641
- Glacier mass balance heterogeneity in high Mountain Asia analyzed from synthetic aperture radar L. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2026.105155
- Assessment of interannual and seasonal glacier mass changes in the Karakoram during 2018–2022 using ICESat-2 data X. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.130223
- Constraints of the enhanced snow melt in the northern Antarctic Peninsula during the 2021/22 melt season from Sentinel-1 data and in-situ observations K. Fárová et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104722
- Record-breaking glacier mass loss in Central Asia in 2025 L. Tricht et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae6712
- Incidence Angle Normalization of Dual-Polarized Sentinel-1 Backscatter Data on Greenland Ice Sheet X. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14215534
- Progress and future directions in constraining uncertainties in sea-level projections using observations D. Felikson et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02437-4
- Glacier facies characterisation in transboundary West Sikkim Himalaya from TerraSAR-X; GLCM based classification approach A. Sharma et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/14498596.2022.2164085
- Snowmelt Dynamics in a Temperate Glacier Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images: A Case Study on Saint-Sorlin Glacier, French Alps C. Turbé et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3384030
- Glacier surface melt monitoring using Sentinel-1 SAR backscattering coefficient and polarimetric decomposition features at Greenland ice sheet H. Jiao et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10095020.2025.2514817
- LabSAR, a one-GCP coregistration tool for SAR–InSAR local analysis in high-mountain regions F. Weissgerber et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsen.2022.935137
- Observed and projected declines in glacier albedo across the Third Pole in the 21st century S. Ren et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.08.010
- Glacier melt detection at different sites of Greenland ice sheet using dual-polarized Sentinel-1 images G. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10095020.2023.2252034
- Capturing the Onset of Mountain Snowmelt Runoff Using Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar E. Gagliano et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105303
- Mapping seasonal snow melting in Karakoram using SAR and topographic data S. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1621-2025
- Wavelet Spatio-Temporal Change Detection on Multitemporal SAR Images R. Fonseca et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2023.3268601
- Mapping and characterization of avalanches on mountain glaciers with Sentinel-1 satellite imagery M. Kneib et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2809-2024
- Nationwide conflict damage mapping with interferometric synthetic aperture radar: A study of the 2022 Russia–Ukraine conflict C. Scher & J. Van Den Hoek https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2025.100217
- Ice cover loss and debris cover evolution in the Afghanistan Hindu Kush Himalaya between 2000 and 2020 J. Shokory & S. Lane https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2024.2373858
- Visibility Metric for Planning SAR Observations in Challenging Terrain E. Kramer & D. Miller https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2024.3487050
- Sensitivity of modelled mass balance and runoff to representations of debris and accumulation on the Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, Canada K. Robinson et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.8
- Seasonal progression of melt and snowlines in Alaska from SAR reveals impacts of warming A. Wells et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01321-y
- Changes in glacier surface temperature across the Third Pole from 2000 to 2021 S. Ren et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114076
- Glacier dynamics in the Upper Tons Basin (1993–2023): A multi-sensor approach using SAR coherence, thermal, and optical remote sensing M. Rashid et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2026.104362
- Velocity variations and hydrological drainage at Baltoro Glacier, Pakistan A. Wendleder et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1085-2024
- Glacier Recession and Climate Change in Chitral, Eastern Hindu Kush Mountains of Pakistan, Between 1992 and 2022 Z. Ahmad et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15050167
- Monitoring glacial lake outburst flood susceptibility using Sentinel-1 SAR data, Google Earth Engine, and persistent scatterer interferometry S. Wangchuk et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112910
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 09 Jun 2026
Short summary
Time series synthetic aperture radar enables detection of seasonal reach-scale glacier surface melting across continents, a key component of surface energy balance for mountain glaciers. We observe melting across all areas of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) cryosphere. Surface melting for the HKH lasts for close to 5 months per year on average and for just below 2 months at elevations exceeding 7000 m a.s.l. Further, there are indications that melting is more than superficial at high elevations.
Time series synthetic aperture radar enables detection of seasonal reach-scale glacier surface...
