Spatial Analysis of Environmental Hazards

Spatial Analysis of Environmental Hazards

Assessment of the effect of periodic changes on Takhte Soleiman glaciers using Google Earth Engine (GEE)

Authors
Homayoun Motiee 1
Saba Ahrari 2
1 Shahid Beheshti University
2 Shahid Beheshti
Abstract
Glaciers are one of the most important water resources in the world, which are heavily affected by global warming and climate change. This paper investigates the effects of global warming on the changes in the snow cover level of the Takht Suleiman region located in Mazandaran province during the warm months of the year through the past three decades using remote sensing. For this purpose, the images from June to August of the Landsat-5 and 8 satellites in the period of 1990 to 2021, as well as the data of the air temperature product of the ERA5 sensor were processed on the Google Earth Engine. In this research, NDSI index (Normalized Snow Cover Surface Index) was used to detect snow covered surfaces and the Mann-Kendall test was used to evaluate the trend of the data. The results of the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient in the Google Earth Engine system show an overall accuracy of 94% and a Kappa coefficient of 89% in 2021, which shows the high compatibility of this method with real data.

The results obtained during the investigated period show an increase of about 1.5 degrees in temperature during the last three decades at a significant level of 95%. The snow and ice cover of the Takht Suleiman region in June month decreased from 127 square kilometers( in 1990) with a decrease of 82% to 22 square kilometers( in 2021). The trend of changes in the level of snow cover in June was analyzed with the Mann-Kendall test, which shows a decreasing trend at a significance level between 80 and 90%. In general, these results indicate an increase in temperature and a decrease in the level of this glacier during the statistical period studied, and the continuation of the gradual depletion of the glaciers of this region in the future is a serious threat to the downstream water source and the surrounding environment.


Keywords
Climate Change
Remote Sensing
glaciers
Takhte-Soleiman
Google Earth Engine
NDSI
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Spatial Analysis of Environmental Hazards
Volume 9, Issue 2 - Serial Number 34
Summer 2022
Pages 179-194