Fluctuations of Heard Island Glaciers 1947-2014

Understanding of changes in the extent of the Heard Island glaciers has been derived from comparison of brief journal accounts, photographs and drawings made during the early sealing period and later, as scientists began to explore this remote island, from published reports, photographs, satellite images and eventually mass-balance studies. The fluctuations of these glaciers have previously been discussed by Budd and Stephenson (1970), Allison and Keage (1986), Budd (2000), Ruddell (2006), Donoghue (2009), and Cogley et al (2014).
This report examines two newly acquired satellite images from 2012 and 2014. What is unique about these images is that in both cases the images are near cloud free and include the entire island. This is unusual for this mountainous island. These images provide the first chance to complete a full inventory of the island's glaciers over both years (2012 and 2014) from a single point in time. Complete satellite inventories of the island have only previously been attempted in 1988 and 2008 - in each case this required the use images over several years and different sources to capture the entire island.
This report also includes an inventory of additional data sets and data resources that have been used to calculate the length and areas of Heard Island glaciers between 1947 and 2014.