Investigation on Alam Chal Glacier Using Satellite Images

A considerable portion of potable water in Iran is supplied by natural glaciers, and then the study and protection of these resources are a necessity. This investigation includes the assessment of glacier parameters such as maximum and minimum altitude, area and perimeter, position of snow line and etc. Since direct measurement of these parameters in the field is time consuming and expensive, therefore, some techniques such as remote sensing seem to be more useful and plausible. In this regards, one can deploy different algorithms for detection of the glacier region as well as calculation of relevant important parameters. To achieve this goal, the resolution of satellite images in spatial, spectral and radiometric aspects should be studied and assessed. In this research, satellite images with different resolutions have been used to study the Alam Chal Glacier. Using different satellite images, the glacier parameters have been identified and studied and the most appropriate images which can provide the necessary precision for this task were identified. Also the potentiality of DEM (Digital Elevation Model) in combination with satellite images in order to obtain the glacier geometric elements such as the topography of cirque, maximum and minimum height, the topography of the district and watershed, has been investigat