Remote Sensing of Glaciers

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Remote Sensing of Glaciers

In August, Suzanne Bevan (Geography) travelled to Barreal in northwest Argentina to take part in a workshop on the remote sensing of glaciers. The workshop was sponsored by ESA and the Argentinian Space Agency (CONAE), with the aim of improving the remote sensing capability of glaciologists and hydrologists in Argentina. In Argentina the glaciers of the Andes are an important hydrological resource but the high altitude makes fieldwork difficult, hence the need to develop remote sensing expertise. The four-day workshop began with presentations by specialists from the national universities, water agencies, glaciological institutes and CONAE on the requirements for and challenges of monitoring Andean glaciers. On the third and fourth days Philipp Rastner (University of Zurich) and Suzanne Bevan  presented seminars and practicals on the application of optical and radar remote sensing, respectively, to the monitoring of glaciers. A local TV station also sent reporters to interview participants, particularly with regard to the issues of water pollution by companies mining in the Andes. All attendees thought the workshop had been very successful even with the requirement for real-time translation between Spanish and English.  The workshop was reported in some local press articles.