Analysis of albedo evolution for Saskatchewan Glacier using Google Earth Engine (2010-2024).
This project analyzes the temporal evolution of surface albedo for Saskatchewan Glacier using MODIS satellite data. The analysis covers the period from 2010 to 2024, focusing on summer months (June-September) when albedo measurements are most relevant for understanding glacier melt dynamics.
- Satellite Data: MODIS MCD43A3 (500m resolution)
- Albedo Type: White Sky Albedo (WSA) - shortwave
- Quality Filtering: Only pixels with quality flags ≤ 1 are included
- Temporal Coverage: Daily observations, 2010-2024
- Spatial Coverage: Saskatchewan Glacier, Canadian Rockies
-
Annual Analysis
- Summer mean albedo calculation (June-September)
- Trend analysis over 15-year period
- Statistical significance testing
-
Daily Analysis
- High-resolution temporal dynamics
- Quality assessment per observation
- Seasonal patterns identification
-
Spatial Analysis
- Pixel-level coverage assessment
- Change detection between periods
- Visualization of spatial patterns
saskatchewan_glacier_albedo_analysis_complete.js- Main analysis script for Google Earth Enginetest_pixel_coverage.js- Test script for pixel coverage threshold analysis
- Trend: Decreasing albedo trend of -0.0075 per year (2010-2024)
- Coverage: Analysis uses pixels with ≥50% coverage within glacier mask
- Data Quality: Comprehensive quality filtering ensures robust results
- Open Google Earth Engine Code Editor
- Copy the script content
- Ensure access to the glacier mask asset:
projects/tofunori/assets/Saskatchewan_glacier_2024_updated - Run the script
- CSV files with annual and daily statistics
- GeoTIFF images of albedo maps
- Temporal evolution charts
- Statistical analysis results
Created for glaciological research on Saskatchewan Glacier dynamics.
This project is open source and available for research purposes.