STUDY ON THE GLACIERS OF THE WESTERN MONGOLIA USING PALSAR DATA 
N.Tuvjargal a , L.Ochirkhuyag a,b *, R.Tsolmon 3 ,B.Khosbayar a 
a National University of Mongolia, School of Physics-Electronics, Laboratotay for Remote sensing/GIS 
NUM-ITC-UNESCO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - tuvjargal@num.edu.mn; tsolmon@num.edu.mn 
b Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Mongolia Program, Amar str-2, INTERNOM bookstore building Rm #305, 
Ulaanbaatar 14200, Mongolia - olkhamjav@wcs.org 
Commission VII,WG VII/5 
KEY WORDS: Satellite remote sensing, Supervised classification, Computer Vision, Change detection, Snow Ice 
ABSTRACT: 
Since the middle of the last century, the global climate is changing drastically and as a result the current climate experiences 
more frequent extremes in Mongolia causing big losses amongst animal and land degradation. Southern and Northern pole and 
ice glaciers is melting caused by the Global World warming. Because of it, negative effects on world climate are viewing by 
losing ecological equilibrates. Thus we aimed to explained the relationship World Global warming with changes glacier fields 
in Great Lakes Basin in the Western part of Mongolia by using satellite data. The ALOS/PALSAR data was used for glacier 
depth in the study area Deglii Tsagaan UUL. The study area is surrounded by mountainous with high glaciers. From this 
research we conlude that ALOS/PALSAR data could be used not only for glacier depth study but can be also applied for 
glacier change detection and snow coverage of Western Mongolia. 
1. INTRODUCATION 
Mongolia is high mountain land that has including glacier are 
located Khuiten and Altai Tavan Bogd summit of Mongol Altai 
mountainous areas which has chilly and breeze climate. One of 
biggest river is located at the Mongol Altai mountainous areas 
which is named by Potanin river’s area is 53.5 square 
kilometers. 
Last years global has climate change that important impact of 
environment. Mongolia is harsh climare country which is long 
lasting cold winter, short and hot summer (high temperature 
variability: -350C in winter, +350C in summer ). The climate in 
the northern part of the country is extremely cold, in winter the 
temperature can reach -500C extreme continental climates with 
low precipitation, 85-90% of which fall in summer as rain. 
During the last 64 years Annual air temperature increased an 
average by 1.90C in Mongolia. Winter warming is more in the 
high mountain regions (3.0-4.50C), and less in the steppe and 
Gobi and desert (1.0-2.00C). 
Climate change impact had decreased time and period to sneeze 
of glacier, melt of glacier and to shrink depth of glacier. 
Glacier research and study has not coverage by Mongolian all 
territory but those research is just particle or small study area. 
That study not covered by the Western Mongolia and just some 
peak of mountainous areas. Because all areas study is limited by 
financial support and geography location is far from capital. 
Therefore this studies one purpose is used space technology 
such as satellite images to identify area of glacier and their 
depth. 
2.1 Study area 
Our study area was include complete western site in Mongolia 
and we were selected Deglii tsagaan Mountain represent 
Kharkhiraa Turgen Mountains placed between Tarialan and 
Turgen soum in Uvs province (fig 2.1). We are worked to 
determinant snow cover depth. 
Figure 2.1. Deglii tsagaan mountain 
2.2 Data used 
ALOS/PALSAR is active sensor for radar remote sensing and 
refinement version of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for 
JERS-1 satellite in Japan. ALOS/PALSAR data distributed 
since 2007 to public. And we found used data in our study area 
situated that’s very difficult. This data located in Kharkhira 
Turgen mountains (fig 2.2). 
2. APPROACHES 
Figure 2.2. Our study area and data locate 
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