Brief communication : glacier mapping and change estimation using very high-resolution declassified Hexagon KH-9 panoramic stereo imagery (1971-1984)

Abstract

The panoramic cameras (PCs) on board Hexagon KH-9 (KH-9PC) satellite missions from 1971-1984 captured very high-resolution stereo imagery with up to 60gcm spatial resolution. This study explores the potential of this imagery for glacier mapping and change estimation. We assess KH-9PC imagery using data from the KH-9 mapping camera (KH-9MC), KH-4PC, and SPOT and Pléiades satellite imagery. The high resolution of KH-9PC leads to higher-quality DEMs, which better resolve the accumulation region of the glaciers in comparison to the KH-9MC. On stable terrain, KH-9PC DEMs achieve an elevation accuracy of