Abstract
We analyzed backscattering characteristics of a tropical glacier and estimated snow-line altitudes during 2015-2016 using C-band SAR images to improve accuracy of short-term and middle-term glacial melt estimation, especially, during wet season. Study glacier is HuaynaPotosi West glacier, Boliva. First, we calculated the spatial mean backscatter coefficient of the whole glacial area to understand the seasonality of backscattering. In the wet season, it decreased by 2.4dB during the earyly part, which is November to January, and increased by 3.4dB during the latter part, February to April. In the dry season, the backscatter coefficient decreased by 2.2dB from May to October. Second, the snow line altitude for separation of snow area or ice area was estimated with the threshold of the average backscattering coefficient determined with the cumulative relative frequency of it. Threshold vales were about –13dB and –11dB for wet season and dry season, individually. It concludes that the back scattering coefficient obtained from SAR imagery is useful for estimating snow-line altitudes.