Ulrich Kamp | University of Michigan - Dearborn (original) (raw)

Papers by Ulrich Kamp

ABSTRACT The Himalaya comprises one of the largest glacier-covered areas outside the polar region... more ABSTRACT The Himalaya comprises one of the largest glacier-covered areas outside the polar regions. Glaciers are of special interest for several reasons. For instance, receding glaciers can cause the development of hazardous glacial lakes and glaciers contribute to the overall river runoff. The importance of the glacier melt to run off, however, varies significantly depending especially on the precipitation regime. Previous studies indicate that the vast majority of the Himalayan glaciers retreated during the recent decades with only few exemptions. Although the numbers of investigates glaciers increased in the last few years, there is still a lack of knowledge about the glacier behaviour in the different regions of the Himalaya. Existing length measurements in the Indian Himalaya show continuous retreat with an accelerating trend in recent years for most of the glaciers. The annual retreat rates vary between ~5m and more than 50m. However, several measurements are based on topographic maps or coarse satellite data and can have therefore higher uncertainties. Own reassessments for the debris-covered Gangotri Glacier situated in Garhwal Himalaya/western India based on high resolution imagery such as Corona, Hexagon, IRS PAN, LISS IV, and Cartosat-1 show an continuous retreat with an average rate of 19.9 ± 0.3 m a-1 from 1965 to 2006. This is significant but less than previously published. Similar results were revealed for the area changes in upper Alaknanda and Bhagirathi valleys in Garhwal Himalaya. We found a lower but still significant area loss of 4.6 ± 2.8 % between 1968 and 2006. Area changes in Khumbu Himalaya/Nepal are with ~5% between 1962 and 2005 comparable. Investigations in the Greater Himalayan Range in southern Ladakh/northwest India revealed a general receding trend but with some of the larger glaciers with high altitude catchments being stable or even advancing. Preliminary results for Shyok Valley (Jammu and Kashmir) show on average stable or slightly advancing glaciers. This is consistent with existing studies of the Karakoram glaciers. However, area and length changes show indirect signals only while the mass balance is most directly linked to climate. Debris cover on glaciers which is common throughout the Himalaya further influences glacier melt. Existing studies show that area and length changes are reduced in comparison to debris-free glaciers. Currently no long-term in-situ glacier mass balance measurements exist. Remote sensed derived geodetic mass balance estimations are a suitable tool to improve the knowledge on the reaction of glaciers to climate change. Detailed investigations on the debris-covered glaciers in Khumbu Himalaya based on stereo Corona, ASTER and Cartosat-1 data revealed a specific mass balance of -0.32 ± 0.08 m w.e. a-1 between 1972 and 2007 which is within the global mean. The surface lowering is significant for all glaciers despite thick debris-cover. Consistently, preliminary results of the large debris-covered Zemu Glacier in Sikkim/Eastern Indian Himalaya indicate significant mass loss but only a slight reduction in length. Further analyses are under way and also climatic considerations will be addressed.

Baseline for Monitoring Water Resources Along Kabul and Indus Rivers of Pakistan for Potential Te... more Baseline for Monitoring Water Resources Along Kabul and Indus Rivers of Pakistan for Potential Terrorist Contamination Terrorism has temporarily constrained the dynamism of the world it was enjoying before September 11, 2001, but also has opened avenues for people of all ethnicities, creeds, and professions to join hands in combating it. Scientific efforts to combat terrorism are likely to lead to better use of existing scientific knowledge as well as to discoveries that will increase world organization, interconnectivity, and peace promotion. Afghanistan and surrounding regions are major focal points for current anti-terrorist activities of the USA and its allies, including Pakistan. The United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have shared many similar political objectives, as well as differences, in cold war and post-cold-war eras, reflected by variable provisions of material aid. It is well recognized that understanding Afghanistan requires comprehension of the Pakistan situation as well, especially for common resources. Water is paramount because it is absolutely vital, but can be contaminated by internal or cross-border terrorism. The Kabul and Indus rivers originate in the Hindu Kush - Himalaya ranges. The Kabul River flows from Afghanistan into Pakistan, and after irrigating Peshawar basin, joins the Indus. The Indus, after its origin in Tibet and flow through the Indian Himalaya, enters Pakistan and flows south as the irrigation lifeblood of the country. Any terroristic addition of radioactive nuclides or contaminants to either river could dramatically impact the dependent riverine ecologies. Monitoring cells thus need to be established at locations in Afghanistan and Pakistan to assess base-line river variances for possible future contamination by terrorists. This paper presents a general view and the physical and chemical parameters of parts of the two rivers, and of the surrounding underground water in Peshawar Basin, including pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, major elements, trace elements, heavy metals and oxygen isotopes. Data are mostly within allowed limits of US-EPA for surface and underground water. Oxygen isotopes confirm the dangers of contamination from the Kabul River to underground water. Heavy metals were determined through spectrophotometery, however, modern geophysical methods are cheaper and quicker and can be applied at monitoring stations. With Kabul river and its surroundings as examples, similar theory and practice can be applied to rivers within the United States and other parts of the world.

ABSTRACT The rapid proliferation of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) into ... more ABSTRACT The rapid proliferation of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) into geomorphologic mapping has increased the objectivity and efficiency of landform segmentation, measurement, and classification. The near ubiquitous presence of Earth-observing satellites provides an array of perspectives to visualize the biophysical characteristics of landscapes, access inhospitable terrain on a predictable schedule, and study landscape processes when conditions are hazardous. GIS technology has altered the analysis, visualization, and dissemination of landform data due to the shared theoretical concepts that are fundamental to geomorphology and GIScience. The authors review geospatial technology applications in landform mapping (including emerging issues) within glacial, volcanic, landslide, and fluvial research.

... Master of Science in Geography, GIS and Cartography The University of Montana Missoula, MT ..... more ... Master of Science in Geography, GIS and Cartography The University of Montana Missoula, MT ... Geography GLACIER MONITORING IN LADAKH AND ZANSKAR, NORTHWESTERN INDIA ... had flown into villages, overtaking forests, fields, orchards, and people's houses. ...

Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 2015

Current algorithms for estimating fire severity from remotely sensed imagery are based on pre-fir... more Current algorithms for estimating fire severity from remotely sensed imagery are based on pre-fire to post-fire changes in reflectance values within the sensor's bands, rather than on an understanding of how spectral signatures of burned areas differ from unburned areas. However, spectral signatures for materials commonly found in burned areas of the landscape, including ash, charcoal, and burned pine needles have not been published. With a fundamental understanding of how fire alters the spectral signatures of a landscape, fire severity algorithms could readily be derived for any sensor. Spectral signatures of charcoal, soil and other materials were collected for this project in several burned areas in western Montana during the summer of 2006. An ASD FieldSpec3 spectroradiometer (350-2500 nm) was used for collection. Time since burn ranged from one week to one year. Spectral signatures were also collected for vegetation and other common materials outside the burn perimeter and...

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, 2014

ABSTRACT This chapter summarizes the current state of remote sensing of glaciers in the India, Ne... more ABSTRACT This chapter summarizes the current state of remote sensing of glaciers in the India, Nepal, and Bhutan regions of the Himalaya, and focuses on new methods for assessing glacier change. Glaciers in these Himalaya regions exhibit complex patterns of changes due to the unique and variable climatic, topographic, and glaciological parameters present in this region. The theoretical understanding of glaciers in the Himalaya is limited by lack of sufficient observations due to terrain breadth and complexity, severe weather conditions, logistic difficulties, and geopolitics. Mapping and assessing these glaciers with satellite imagery is also challenging due to inherent sensor limitations and information extraction issues. Thus, we still lack a complete understanding of the magnitude of feedbacks, and in some places even their sign, between climate changes and glacier response in this region. In this chapter we present the current status of glaciers in various climatic regimes of the Himalaya, ranging from the monsoon-influenced regions of the central–eastern Himalaya (Nepal, Garhwal, Sikkim, and Bhutan) through the monsoon transition zone of Himachal Pradesh (India), to the dry areas of Ladakh (western Himalaya). The case studies presented here illustrate the use of remote sensing and elevation data coupled with glaciermapping techniques for glacier area and elevation change detection and ice flow modeling in the context of the Himalaya.

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, 2014

Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 2015

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, 2014