Sha et al. (2026) Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Reveal the Instability Evolution and Precursory Signals Before the Collapse of the Aru Glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-23
• Authors: Linwei Sha, Guangjian Wu, Bo Cao, Weijin Guan, Jiping Wang
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18193277

Research Groups

• Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment and Disaster (Tibet University)
• Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Short Summary

This study compares the effectiveness of various remote sensing indicators in identifying precursory signals of glacier collapse on the Tibetan Plateau. The results highlight distinct diagnostic sensitivities among indicators for assessing glacier instability.

Objective

• Investigate the relative effectiveness and temporal behavior of different remote sensing indicators for identifying collapse-related precursory signals in glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Tibetan Plateau)
• Temporal Scale: 1990–2016

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned
• Data sources:
  • Satellite data ( Sentinel-1 SAR backscatter, surface albedo, glacier surface temperature)
  • Multi-source remote sensing datasets (glacier geometry, surface elevation change, glacier surface velocity)

Main Results

• Both glaciers experienced upstream surface lowering and downstream thickening, followed by pronounced GSV acceleration toward collapse.
• Surface albedo and GST exhibited long-term variations consistent with regional climatic conditions but lacked distinctive collapse-related anomalies.
• Sentinel-1 observations revealed a contrasting response between the two glaciers: Aru 53 showed progressive increase in σ0, whereas Aru 50 exhibited only limited changes.

Contributions

• This study provides insights into the distinct diagnostic sensitivities among remote sensing indicators for assessing glacier instability on the Tibetan Plateau.
• The results support the use of indicator-specific anomaly responses rather than a single universal precursor criterion.

Funding

• Not specified in the paper.

Citation

@article{Sha2026MultiSource,
  author = {Sha, Linwei and Wu, Guangjian and Cao, Bo and Guan, Weijin and Wang, Jiping},
  title = {Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Reveal the Instability Evolution and Precursory Signals Before the Collapse of the Aru Glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18193277},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18193277}
}