Validation of a glacier surface mass balance model using remote sensing

A method to validate spatialized mass balance model over glaciers using optical remote sensing data, for the time series period 1984-2002 is presented. To model the mass balance, we use the snow model CROCUS, adapted for glaciers. Results are discussed for St. Sorlin Glacier, French Alps. The snow line calculated in the model is compared with satellite images. Comparison of altitude gives a correlation R² = 0.94, and a RMSE of 30 m.