GLIMS Update: 1. Meeting. 2. ASTER images of glaciers.

[jkargel at usgs.gov]

Dear GLIMS colleagues and associates,

This GLIMS Update contains 2 items:
1. Information on possible GLIMS meetings (READ ME NOW!)
2. Update on the long-awaited initial ASTER glacier images.
======================================
1. Opportunities for GLIMS meetings.
Several important glaciology meetings are coming up, and each offers the
potential for a significant GLIMS gathering.  Please consider each of the
following meetings, and let me know whether you plan to be there and would
consider joining a separate GLIMS meeting for 1 or 2 days adjoining the
other meeting.  Note that abstracts for the 4th International Symposium on
remote sensing in glaciology are due Monday, November 13.  This seems to be
one of the most important meetings, so please consider submitting an
abstract.  Whatever meeting draws the most interest could have a major
GLIMS science meeting organized before or afterward.   We can also organize
GLIMS lunches and dinners and regional GLIMS science and technology
meetings.  If you know of other international glaciological meetings coming
up, please inform me.

Please consider the following meetings and respond to the following
attendance check list as soon as possible.  Note that the 3rd meeting
listed has a November 13 abstract due date.

1. Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
Dec. 15-19, 2000
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm00call.html
Abstract deadline already passed, but there will be many good sessions on
glaciers and ice sheets and ASTER

2. European Geophysical Society  XXVI General Assembly (EGS 2001)
Nice, France, 26 - 30 March 2001
Abstracts due: 01 December 2000
http://www.copernicus.org/EGS/egsga/nice01/programme/overview.htm

3. 4TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON REMOTE SENSING IN GLACIOLOGY
College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.
4?8 June, 2001
http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/igs/Mary.htm
Abstracts due next Monday, November 13!

4.  INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ICE CORES AND CLIMATE
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
19?23 August, 2001
http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/igs/Green.htm

5. 5th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GEOMORPHOLOGY (5th ICG), including
Symposium 24 "Glaciation and periglaciation of Asian high mountains,"
Tokyo, Japan
August 23 - 28, 2001.
Abstracts due: Dec. 20, 2000
http://wwwsoc.nacsis.ac.jp/jgu/icg_hopa/indexicg.html





Meeting interest form.  Indicate which of the following pertain: I will not
or probably will not attend;  I already planned to attend; I will or
probably will attend if there is a GLIMS lunch or dinner; I will or
probably will attend if there is a substantial 1- or 2-day GLIMS meeting
held in conjunction with the conference.  I should note, GLIMS has no
travel funding available.   Please circulate this checklist to

MEETING:                                                    RESPONSE:

Fall AGU
EGS 2001
4th Int'l Symp Rem Sensing Glaciology
Int'l Symp Ice Cores and Climate
5th ICG
==================================

2. Update on the long-awaited ASTER images of glaciers and public release
of data.
We have successfully destriped and coregistered the first GLIMS glacier
acquisition (Mt. Cook, New Zealand) and have placed it on a
password-protected website (since the data have not been released for
general public use.)  Those regional centers who have submitted a fair-use
agreement (see the previous GLIMS Update) will be sent the password to
access these processed images and documentation regarding the various
artifacts and processing.  A spectacular scene from the San Rafael area of
Chile will be added soon.  Non-GLIMS glacier scenes are also useful,
including the Harvard/Yale/Matanuska Glacier area of Alaska.   There are
about 20 other relatively cloudless glacier scenes acquired without GLIMS
gain settings (thus causing variable extents of saturation in some VNIR
bands and low dN in SWIR bands over ice and snow areas).

Public release of ASTER data will occur sometime this month, though
processing by the ground data system will continue to lag seriously.
Systematic ASTER observations have begun, but most resources appear to be
going into obtaining a global map.  It appears that routine GLIMS
observations have not yet begun.  Since the early ASTER acquisitions are
proceeding, it would appear that routine observations are not far away.


Sincerely,


Jeffrey S. Kargel
U.S. Geological Survey
2255 N. Gemini Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Telephone (+1) (520) 556-7034
Fax (+1) (520) 556-7014
Email: jkargel at usgs.gov