2008 
1013 
CHANGE DETECTION OF MOUNTAIN GLACIER SURFACE USING 
AERIAL AND SATELLITE IMAGERY: A CASE STUDY IN IRAN, ALAMCHAL 
GLACIER 
M.S. Moussavi a , M.J. Valadan Zoej b , M.R sahebi b ,Y. Rezaei d 
a Remote Sensing Department, KNToosi University of Technology, Mirdamad Cross, Valiasr Av., Tehran, Iran 
ms.moussavi@gmail.com 
b Remote Sensing Department, KNToosi University of Technology, (valadanzouj, sahebi)@kntu.ac.ir 
c Remote Sensing Department, KNToosi University of Technology, y.rezaei@gmail.com 
KEYWORDS: Change Detection, Mountain Glacier, Optical Imagery, Remote Sensing 
ABSTRACT: 
Glaciers are important components of Earth’s natural system and of human environment, and are therefore obvious targets for mapping 
and monitoring. They serve as sensitive indicators of climate change. The surface topography of mountain glaciers is often subject to 
continuous spatio-temporal changes due to glacial phenomena. Hence, monitoring glacier changes not only can provide useful 
information on the glacial phenomena, but it also can reflect the effects of global warming on the dynamics of ice-masses. In Iran, 
monitoring glaciers is of significant importance, due to the fact that a considerable portion of portable water is supplied by natural glaciers. 
Five main glacier zones have been identified in Iran of which the focus of this study would be on Alamchal glacier. Various measurement 
techniques can be applied in order to derive metric information of surface deformation and flow velocity. For this study, Optical image 
cross-correlation technique was chosen. In general, glacier surface deformation measurement studies are conducted either in short-term or 
long-term time interval. Satellite Radar Interferometry has proved to be adequate enough for measuring small displacements up to a few 
tens of cm on cloud covered areas over a short time. However on longer time intervals, interferometry is no more adequate.Long-term 
monitoring of glacier surface changes due to environmental factors can be used to assess the status of glacier reservoir. In the present 
work, changes of Alamchal glacier have been measured over a long period using aerial and optical satellite imagery. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
In recent decades, a spectacular retreat has been observed on most 
of the monitored glaciers. If this evolution is confirmed in the 
coming years, it will have some important consequences in terms 
of water resources, economical development, and risk 
management in the surrounding areas. Up to now, only a few 
number of the existing world mountain glaciers have been 
monitored, mostly by ground measurements, which often provide 
information only once or twice a year at a few points. Because of 
the difficulty of reaching high-altitude glaciers in risky 
mountainous areas, acquisition and processing of remotely sensed 
data should provide more information to improve glacier 
monitoring(E. Trouvé et al.,2007) 
A high percentage of Iran’s portable water is supplied by natural 
glaciers, therefore monitoring glaciers’ are of great importance. 
According to parameters proposed for glacier classification by 
GLIMS, Iran’s glaciers fall within the category of mountain 
glaciers, Glaciers adhering to mountain sides. 
Based on geological structure, Iran’s glaciers are divided into 
two groups: 1) Granite glaciers 2) Karstic glaciers. 
The glaciers in Alamkuh and Sabalan regions and around 
Damavand summit have the Granite structure, whereas Oshtoran 
kuh and Zard kuh glaciers are karstic. 
To understand the dynamics of glaciers accurate displacement 
measurements are needed. Such measurements contribute to a 
better knowledge of the rheological parameters controlling the 
flow of glaciers. They are important to monitor icefalls, glacier 
surges (Fischer et al., 2003), and glacier hazards (Ka‘ a b et al., 
2003). They can also detect ice-velocity changes caused by global 
warming (Rignot et al., 2002). Differential Global Positioning 
System (DGPS), ground surveys, synthetic aperture radar 
interferometry (InSAR), and optical image cross-correlation are 
the main ways to determine glacier displacements. The first two 
methods are the most accurate but present some severe limitations 
for the monitoring of mountain glaciers. Even with the advent of 
the DGPS, it remains difficult and time-consuming to perform 
regular ground-based surveys of glacier flow(E. Berthier et 
al.,2005) 
2. STUDY SITE 
Alamchal glacier is located in the western part of the Elburz 
Mountains (Iran), in the region of the Takht-e Sulaiman massif.It’s 
geographic coordinates are lat. 36°22' N., long. 50°55' E.. The 
highest peak of the massif, Alam kuh (4,840 m), is the second 
highest peak in Iran. 
The south-north oriented glacier occupy an area of about 3 km 2 .It 
spans from 3700m above see leval to 4250m. Almost the entire 
surface is covered by moraines 0.5 to 1.5m thick. 
The test site is suitable for investigating the potential of remotely 
sensed data to monitor glacier activity for several reasons such as 
the following: 
• Complex surface cover : The glacier surface is a mixture of 
snow,ice ,and rocks