Articles | Volume 6, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-447-2012
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-447-2012
Brief communication
 | 
03 Apr 2012
Brief communication |  | 03 Apr 2012

Brief communication "Importance of slope-induced error correction in volume change estimates from radar altimetry"

R. T. W. L. Hurkmans, J. L. Bamber, and J. A. Griggs

Abstract. In deriving elevation change rates (dH/dt) from radar altimetry, the slope-induced error is usually assumed to cancel out in repeat measurements. These measurements, however, represent a location that can be significantly further upslope than assumed, causing an underestimate of the basin-integrated volume change. In a case-study for the fast-flowing part of Jakobshavn Isbræ, we show that a relatively straightforward correction for slope-induced error increases elevation change rates by up to several metres per year and significantly reduces the volume change error with respect to laser altimetry for the area of interest.