INFERENCE OF SURFACE VELOCITIES FROM OBLIQUE TIME LAPSE PHOTOS AND TERRESTRIAL BASED LIDAR AT THE HELHEIM GLACIER

Author

Franklyn T. Dunbar II, University of Montana, MissoulaFollow

Year of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Computer Science

Department or School/College

Computer Science

Committee Chair

Douglas Brinkerhoff

Committee Co-chair

Jesse Johnson

Commitee Members

Tony Meirbachtol

Keywords

computer science, glaciology, geophysics, bayesian statistics, climate science, computer vision, machine learning

Subject Categories

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics | Climate | Data Science | Glaciology | Hydrology | Numerical Analysis and Computation | Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing | Partial Differential Equations

Abstract

Using time dependent observations derived from terrestrial LiDAR and oblique
time-lapse imagery, we demonstrate that a Bayesian approach to glacial motion es-
timation provides a concise way to incorporate multiple data products into a single
motion estimation procedure effectively producing surface velocity estimates with
an associated uncertainty. This approach brings both improved computational effi-
ciency, and greater scalability across observational time-frames when compared to
existing methods. To gauge efficacy, we apply these methods to a set of observa-
tions from the Helheim Glacier, a critical actor in contemporary mass loss trends
observed in the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that the Helheim glacier exhibits
a mean velocity of approximately 19md−1 and discuss the implications of these
methods as they pertain to ongoing efforts to characterize the Greenland Ice Sheet
and its contributions to global mean sea level rise.

Recommended Citation

Dunbar, Franklyn T. II, "INFERENCE OF SURFACE VELOCITIES FROM OBLIQUE TIME LAPSE PHOTOS AND TERRESTRIAL BASED LIDAR AT THE HELHEIM GLACIER" (2021). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11836.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11836