First results on monitoring glacier dynamics with the aid of terrestrial laser scanning on Pasterze glacier (Hohe Tauern, Austria).

Terrestrial laser scanning is a quite new technique for glacier monitoring. Long-range laser scanners are able to acquire high-resolution 3D data of surface structures. They can achieve measuring distances up to a few kilometres of range with accuracy in the range of a few centimetres. Single time-of-flight measurements are automatically combined to a measurement grid that enables the generation of a dense digital elevation model (DEM) of the glacier surface. Repeatable sensor orientation is performed using reflective targets fixed on stable surfaces somewhere in the spherical field of view of the sensor. The differences between DEMs of subsequent measurement epochs are used to describe the 3D surface deformation. We report on an integrated system that is capable of describing 3D motion and deformations of glacier (especially glacier fronts) within a single day's measurement campaign, including logistics and evaluation.