Articles | Volume 16, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-197-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-16-197-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Jan 2022
Research article |
| 21 Jan 2022
| 21 Jan 2022
Towards ice-thickness inversion: an evaluation of global digital elevation models (DEMs) in the glacierized Tibetan Plateau
Wenfeng Chen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Tandong Yao
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Fei Li
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Guoxiong Zheng
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Urumqi, China
Yushan Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Fenglin Xu
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and
Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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39 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Glacial lakes control ice flow: new insights from satellite SAR PO-SBAS observations in Duiya Glacier, southern Tibetan Plateau Y. Shi et al. 10.1080/17538947.2024.2365964
- Ice thickness inversion assessment: A comparison study for Waldemarbreen and Irenebreen glaciers, Svalbard L. Švinka et al. 10.1016/j.polar.2025.101167
- Surface Motion and Topographic Effects on Ice Thickness Inversion for High Mountain Asia Glaciers: A Comparison Study from Three Numerical Models X. Pang et al. 10.3390/rs15225378
- Accuracy assessment of digital bare-earth model using ICESat-2 photons: analysis of the FABDEM G. Dandabathula et al. 10.1007/s40808-022-01648-4
- Ice thickness and morphological analysis reveal the future glacial lake distribution and formation probability in the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings T. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103923
- ICESat-2 river surface slope (IRIS): A global reach-scale water surface slope dataset D. Scherer et al. 10.1038/s41597-023-02215-x
- Assessment of rock glaciers and their water storage in Guokalariju, Tibetan Plateau M. Li et al. 10.5194/tc-18-1-2024
- ICESat-2 Reveals Accelerated Global Glacier Mass Loss Except Alaska From 2019 to 2023 Y. Fan et al. 10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3518480
- Glacier mass-balance estimates over High Mountain Asia from 2000 to 2021 based on ICESat-2 and NASADEM Y. Fan et al. 10.1017/jog.2022.78
- Performance validation of High Mountain Asia 8-meter Digital Elevation Model using ICESat-2 geolocated photons G. Dandabathula et al. 10.1007/s11629-024-8820-8
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- Accelerated glacier mass loss in the mid-latitude Eurasia from 2019 to 2022 revealed by ICESat-2 G. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.accre.2024.09.008
- Spatial differences of ice volume across High Mountain Asia R. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.accre.2023.08.004
- Multi-source DEM accuracy evaluation based on ICESat-2 in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China X. Weifeng et al. 10.1080/17538947.2023.2297843
- Glacier Mass Balance Pattern and Its Variation Mechanism in the West Kunlun Mountains in Tibetan Plateau L. Gao et al. 10.3390/rs14112634
- Temperature-dominated spatiotemporal variability in snow phenology on the Tibetan Plateau from 2002 to 2022 J. Xu et al. 10.5194/tc-18-1817-2024
- Late Quaternary paleoclimate reconstructions in Bhutanese Himalaya based on glacial modelling W. Yang et al. 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104513
- Ice Thickness Measurement and Volume Modeling of Muztagh Ata Glacier No.16, Eastern Pamir Y. Yang et al. 10.3390/rs16112009
- Ice thickness distribution and stability of three large freshwater calving glaciers on the eastern side of the Southern Patagonian Icefield E. Lannutti et al. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2024.104158
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- Glacier mass variations in the China-Pakistan highway regions from multi-source altimetric remote sensing data Y. Zheng et al. 10.1080/10106049.2025.2491649
- Topographical dynamics based on global and UAV-SfM derived DEM products: a case study of transboundary Teesta River, Bangladesh B. Faisal & Y. Hayakawa 10.1080/04353676.2024.2323347
- Research on Glacier Changes and Their Influencing Factors in the Yigong Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau, China, Based on ICESat-2 Data W. Nie et al. 10.3390/w16182617
- Glacial lake outburst floods threaten China-Nepal connectivity: Synergistic study of remote sensing, GIS and hydrodynamic modeling with regional implications N. Khadka et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174701
- Comparison of five methods for improving the accuracy of SRTM3 DEM and TanDEM-X DEM in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using ICESat-2 data W. Xu et al. 10.1080/17538947.2024.2391036
- Error-Reduced Digital Elevation Model of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using ICESat-2 and Fusion Model X. Zhang et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-03428-4
- Recent Seasonal Spatiotemporal Variations in Alpine Glacier Surface Elevation in the Pamir W. Du et al. 10.3390/rs14194923
- Ice volume and thickness of all Scandinavian glaciers and ice caps T. Frank & W. van Pelt 10.1017/jog.2024.25
- A 2012–2021 high‐resolution glacier mass balance estimate for Icelandic ice caps based on ArcticDEM and ICESat‐2 L. Luo et al. 10.1002/esp.5854
- Integrating optimal terrain representations from public DEMs using spaceborne LiDAR X. Zhang et al. 10.1080/17538947.2025.2505631
- Timing and climatic-driven mechanisms of glacier advances in Bhutanese Himalaya during the Little Ice Age W. Yang et al. 10.5194/tc-16-3739-2022
- Error-reduced digital elevation models and high-resolution land cover roughness in mapping tsunami exposure for low elevation coastal zones R. Amra et al. 10.1016/j.rsase.2024.101438
- Mass loss of Bayi Glacier in the Heihe River Basin revealed by ground-penetration radar measurements from 2006 to 2023 X. Pang et al. 10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102255
- Late Quaternary lake level record of Orog Nuur, southern Mongolia, revealed by optical dating of paleo-shorelines S. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.quageo.2022.101370
- ICESat-2 Controlled Integration of GEDI and SRTM Data for Large-Scale Digital Elevation Model Generation X. Tian & J. Shan 10.1109/TGRS.2024.3389821
- Monitoring Earth’s climate variables with satellite laser altimetry L. Magruder et al. 10.1038/s43017-023-00508-8
- Regional “Bare-Earth” Digital Terrain Model for Costa Rica Based on NASADEM Corrected for Vegetation Bias O. Pimenova et al. 10.3390/rs14102421
- Widespread homogenization in vegetation activities along the elevational gradients across the Himalaya over the past 40 years J. Xu et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176179
Latest update: 19 Jul 2025
Short summary
A digital elevation model (DEM) is a prerequisite for estimating regional glacier thickness. Our study first compared six widely used global DEMs over the glacierized Tibetan Plateau by using ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) laser altimetry data. Our results show that NASADEM had the best accuracy. We conclude that NASADEM would be the best choice for ice-thickness estimation over the Tibetan Plateau through an intercomparison of four ice-thickness inversion models.
A digital elevation model (DEM) is a prerequisite for estimating regional glacier thickness. Our...
