Detecting glacier surface changes using object-based change detection

Abstract

The concerns about global warming and climate change have produced widespread scientific interest in the response of glaciers. One of the important indicators of climate change is glacier change. The glaciers in Indian Himalaya have been retreating which can have several effects. Therefore, there is a need of precise and timely mapping and monitoring of the glacier changes. The advent of high spatial resolution images that provide more detailed information has now allowed analyzing glacier changes at a local level. However, change detection using high spatial resolution images faces additional challenges due to, for example, small spurious changes, etc. Fortunately, these effects are reduced by using object-based approaches rather than pixel-based approaches. In this study, object-based approach has been explored to detect the glacier surface changes from high spatial resolution images of WorldView2 and Linear Imaging Self-Scanning System (LISS) IV which has not been done till date in Indian Himalaya.