A DEM of the 2010 surface topography of Storglaciären, Sweden

During the summer of 2010 the surface elevation of Storglaciären in northern Sweden was measured using high-precision GNSS and reflectorless Total Station surveys. The DEM created from these data contain less noise than those created from orthophotographic methods over snow covered glaciers and is therefore smoother, with fewer erroneous features in the data. The principal, though not sole, intended use for the DEM is in the calculation of surface mass balance, which has influenced decisions on what constitutes a functional part of a glacier, leading to the exclusion of features such as snow aprons and perennial ice above the bergschrund. Other peripheral features have changed since the previous, aerial survey from 1999 leading to a reduction in size of approximately 0.17 km².

2010年夏季，研究人员采用高精度全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）与免反射棱镜全站仪测量技术，对瑞典北部的斯托冰川（Storglaciären）开展了表面高程实地观测。基于上述实测数据构建的数字高程模型（DEM），相较于积雪覆盖冰川场景下通过正射摄影方法生成的DEM，噪声水平更低，因此表面更为平滑，数据中包含的错误特征也更少。该DEM的核心（但非唯一）应用场景为冰川表面物质平衡计算，这一应用导向也影响了冰川有效组成单元的界定标准，进而排除了雪裙以及冰斗后裂隙上方的多年冰等非核心地貌特征。相较于1999年的航空测绘结果，该冰川的其他外围特征已发生变化，整体面积缩减约0.17平方千米。