Harmony will quantify many different aspects of the cryosphere such as changes in the volume of ice held in glaciers, changes to the margins of ice sheet, sea ice deformation, and changes to ice-rich permafrost. Harmony’s unique capabilities for interferometric measurements and mapping of 3D surface change will not only provide high-precision measurements of glacier mass balance but also an improved understanding of sea ice motion and subglacial processes occurring thousands of metres below the glacier and ice-sheet surface. Specifically, Harmony will
- provide a consistent and highly resolved global glacier mass balance, filling major spatial gaps in the current observation of mountain glaciers and outlet glaciers of the ice sheets;
- give new insight into the coupling between glacier mass change and ice dynamics, and through that, improve understanding of rapid glacier changes, and the balance between vertical ice flow and mass accumulation/ablation;
- provide measurements of instantaneous sea-ice velocities to better understand sea ice dynamics, and improve sea ice rheological models;
- provide large-area information on the spatial distribution, extent and magnitude of heave/subsidence and erosion in permafrost areas.
Rapid change in glacier mass is one of the largest uncertainties when it comes to projecting future sea-level rise. With millions of people at risk from rising seas, measurements from Harmony will help to better quantify how glaciers and ice sheets are adding to sea level, thereby contributing to several of the Grand Challenges identified by the World Climate Research Programme. Harmony’s novel measurements of terrain changes and land motion will provide new insights into the processes that cause natural hazards, therefore contributing to the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
