We explore and compare the capabilities and limitations of different optical sensors (Sentinel-2/ESA, Landsat 7/8/USGS, Ven $\mathsf{\mu }$ s/CNES-ISA, Pléiades/AirbusD&S and Planet Labs images) for mapping the surface speeds of mountain glaciers on a regional scale. We present here our automated workflow designed to download data from institutional or commercial servers, prepare images, launch the feature tracking algorithm, calibrate glacier surface speeds, and our post-processing treatment to obtain filtered and time-averaged velocity maps. We applied our methodology to three regions: (1) the European alps; (2) the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca; and (3) the Southern Alps of New Zealand for years 2017 and 2018 and quantified ice velocity for every possible repeat cycle from few days up to 400 days. For these regions, we demonstrate the ability of our processing chain to derive precise time-averaged ice flow maps. The statistical analysis of the results provided by each individual repeat cycles shows that velocity mapping from Sentinel-2 is about twice more precise than that from Landsat 7/8. If Sentinel-2 captures more details than Landsat, some of the smallest glaciers (<250 m wide) remain challenging. Given the estimated precision for Sentinel-2, we also conclude that velocity fluctuations of the order of 10 m/yr can only be captured with repeat cycles longer than 60 days. Comparing Sentinel-2 with Pléiades, Planet and Ven $\mathsf{\mu }$ s imagery, we finally highlight the advantages of high-resolution sensors to map glacier surface speed with finer details in space and time.

Understanding changes in glacier mass balances is essential for investigating climate changes. However, glacier‐wide mass balances determined from geodetic observations do not provide a relevant climatic signal as they depend on the dynamic response of the glaciers. In situ point mass balance measurements provide a direct signal but show a strong spatial variability that is difficult to assess from heterogeneous in situ measurements over several decades. To address this issue, we propose a nonlinear statistical model that takes into account the spatial and temporal changes in point mass balances. To test this model, we selected four glaciers in different climatic regimes (France, Bolivia, India, and Norway) for which detailed point annual mass balance measurements were available over a large elevation range. The model extracted a robust and consistent signal for each glacier. We obtained explained variances of 87.5, 90.2, 91.3, and 75.5% on Argentière, Zongo, Chhota Shigri, and Nigardsbreen glaciers, respectively. The standard deviations of the model residuals are close to measurement uncertainties. The model can also be used to detect measurement errors. Combined with geodetic data, this method can provide a consistent glacier‐wide annual mass balance series from a heterogeneous network. This model, available to the whole community, can be used to assess the impact of climate change in different regions of the world from long‐term mass balance series.

Rock glaciers are creeping bodies of ice and rock that account for an important part of the mountain cryosphere. In this study, we investigated long‐term changes of the Laurichard rock glacier (French Alps), to understand how this rock glacier is responding to climate change. Using feature‐tracking and photogrammetric measurements between 1952 and 2019, we quantified changes in thickness, flow velocities and from which we derived the ice/rock flux of the rock glacier at a decadal time scale. This is the first time that emergence velocity and surface mass balance changes have been reconstructed for a rock glacier. Our results reveal a very small surface mass balance ranging from −0.1 m a⁻¹ to +0.05 m a⁻¹, reflecting the role of debris in damping the melt rate of the underlying ice. Surprisingly, we found a more negative surface mass balance in the upper part than in the lower part of the rock glacier during the 1952–1971 cold period, likely due to a reduction in rock and snow mass accumulation. Our study shows that thickness changes are mainly driven by changes in surface mass balance except during the most recent period in the lower part of the rock glacier, which was also influenced by a compressive flow related to a protrusion that prevented the rock glacier from advancing. We conclude that the period 1994–2019 witnessed a marked acceleration in rock glacier flow, in agreement with the observations of other rock glaciers in the European Alps. This strong increase in surface speed is likely a consequence of changes in the basal conditions.

Mass balance observations are very useful to assess climate change in different regions of the world. As opposed to glacier-wide mass balances which are influenced by the dynamic response of each glacier, point mass balances provide a direct climatic signal that depends on surface accumulation and ablation only. Unfortunately, major efforts are required to conduct in situ measurements on glaciers. Here, we propose a new approach that determines point surface mass balances from remote sensing observations. We call this balance the geodetic point surface mass balance. From observations and modelling performed on the Argentière and Mer de Glace glaciers over the last decade, we show that the vertical ice flow velocity changes are small in areas of low bedrock slope. Therefore, assuming constant vertical velocities in time for such areas and provided that the vertical velocities have been measured for at least 1 year in the past, our method can be used to reconstruct annual point surface mass balances from surface elevations and horizontal velocities alone. We demonstrate that the annual point surface mass balances can be reconstructed with an accuracy of about 0.3 m of water equivalent per year (m w.e. a⁻¹) using the vertical velocities observed over the previous years and data from unmanned aerial vehicle images. Given the recent improvements of satellite sensors, it should be possible to apply this method to high-spatial-resolution satellite images as well.

Active rock glaciers are some of the most frequent cryospheric landforms in midlatitude high-elevation mountain ranges. Their activity strongly influences the hydrology and geomorphology of alpine environments over short (years to decades) and long (centuries to millennia) timescales. Being conspicuous expressions of mountain permafrost and important water reserves in the form of ground ice, rock glaciers are seen as increasingly important actors in the geomorphological and hydrological evolution of mountain systems, especially in the context of current climate change. Over geological timescales, rock glaciers both reflect paleoclimate conditions and transport rock boulders produced by headwall erosion, and they therefore participate in shaping high mountain slopes. However, the dynamics of rock glaciers and their evolution over different timescales remain under-constrained. In this study, we adopt a multi-method approach, including field observations, remote sensing, and geochronology, to investigate the rock glacier system of the Vallon de la Route (Combeynot Massif, western French Alps). Remotely sensed images and correlation techniques are used to document the displacement field of the rock glacier over timescales ranging from days to decades. Additionally, to estimate displacement over periods from centuries to millennia, we employ terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (quartz ¹⁰Be) surface-exposure dating on rock boulder surfaces located along the central flow line of the rock glacier, targeting different longitudinal positions from the headwall to the rock glacier terminus. The remote sensing analysis demonstrates that between 1960 and 2018 the two lower units of the rock glacier were motionless, the transitional unit presented an integrated surface velocity of 0.03±0.02 m a⁻¹, and the two upper active units above 2600 m a.s.l. showed a velocity between 0.14±0.08 and 0.15±0.05 m a⁻¹. Our results show ¹⁰Be surface-exposure ages ranging from 13.10±0.51 to 1.88±0.14 ka. The spatial distribution of dated rock glacier boulders reveals a first-order inverse correlation between ¹⁰Be surface-exposure age and elevation and a positive correlation with horizontal distance to the headwall. These observations support the hypothesis of rock boulders falling from the headwall and remaining on the glacier surface as they are transported down valley, and they may therefore be used to estimate rock glacier surface velocity over geological timescales. Our results also suggest that the rock glacier is characterized by two major phases of activity. The first phase, starting around 12 ka, displays a ¹⁰Be age gradient with a rock glacier surface velocity of about 0.45 m a⁻¹, following a quiescent period between ca. 6.2 and 3.4 ka before the emplacement of the present-day upper two active units. Climatic conditions have favored an integrated rock glacier motion of around 0.18 m a⁻¹ between 3.4 ka and present day. These results allow us to quantify back-wearing rates of the headwall of between 1.0 and 2.5 mm a⁻¹, higher than catchment-integrated denudation rates estimated over millennial timescales. This suggests that the rock glacier system promotes the maintenance of high rock wall erosion by acting as debris conveyor and allowing freshly exposed bedrock surfaces to be affected by erosion processes.

This study analyses the long‐term dynamics in the Chauvet glacial and periglacial system (southern French Alps) over seven decades (1948–2020), where several lake outburst floods have been documented since 1930. To accurately describe and explain the complex dynamics of this site, our multidisciplinary approach combines (1) photogrammetry of historical aerial photographs and modern high‐resolution satellite and UAV images, (2) geophysical surveys and (3) geomorphological mapping. We provide evidence for spatial and functional interactions between glacial and periglacial features, especially in the lower sector where different landforms with variable ice‐ and debris‐content and specific dynamics are interplayed. We found the highest thinning rates on ice‐rich terrain located in the central part of the valley bottom, which, together with bedrock morphology, most probably determine the location of the thermokarst. We also documented an overall acceleration of the creeping of the landforms after the 2000s, with a flow direction largely oriented towards the thermokarst depression. The outburst water flowed through a conduit whose successive opening and closure seem to mainly depend on the rate of lateral convergence of left‐ and right‐hand landforms and on the rate of ice melting (and roof collapse) along the conduit walls. Today, the site of Chauvet still represents a potential hazard for the region due to the large water storage capacity (up to 180 000 ± 450 m³) and the development of a predominantly bucket shape in the thermokarst sector.