Estimation of glacier surface velocity of Drang- drung glacier by DInSAR technique using Sentinel- 1 SLC SAR data

Glaciers are sensitive to climate change, especially the mountain glaciers due to their relatively small size they show rapid and fast changes to the ongoing trend of warming in climate. In the Himalayan region, the glaciers serve as important source of water for agriculture, power supply and tourism related activities. Glacier velocity gives information about the glacier health and helps in understanding the climate change, mass balance, and glacier dynamics. Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) is the radar interferometry technique for measuring surface changes with a higher accuracy up to millimeter range. Velocity estimates are important to understand the glacier related hazards and can help in alleviating the possible future damage downslope. In this study, the velocity of one of the biggest and benchmark glaciers in Zanskar region has been estimated using DInSAR technique on Sentinel 1 SLC data. The results show that glacier has moved approximately 1m over a period of 12 days