# ST-GRIT: Spatio-Temporal Graph Transformer For Internal Ice Layer Thickness Prediction

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07389 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.07389/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 13 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Jul 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Semi-Supervised Classification with Graph Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.02907/) (2016)
- [Inductive Representation Learning on Large Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02216/) (2017)
- [Graph Neural Networks: A Review of Methods and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.08434/) (2018)
- [EvolveGCN: Evolving Graph Convolutional Networks for Dynamic Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.10191/) (2019)
- [Multi-branch Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Network For Efficient Ice Layer Thickness Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.04055/) (2024)
- [Deep Tiered Image Segmentation For Detecting Internal Ice Layers in Radar Imagery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.03712/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [K-STEMIT: Knowledge-Informed Spatio-Temporal Efficient Multi-Branch Graph Neural Network for Subsurface Stratigraphy Thickness Estimation from Radar Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.09922/) (2026)
- [GRIT-LP: Graph Transformer with Long-Range Skip Connection and Partitioned Spatial Graphs for Accurate Ice Layer Thickness Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.18716/) (2025)
- [PACT: Peak-Aware Cross-Attention Graph Transformers for Efficient Storm-Surge Emulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.09036/) (2026)
- [Physics-Conditioned Synthesis of Internal Ice-Layer Thickness for Incomplete Layer Traces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.20783/) (2026)
- [COGENT: Continuous Graph Emulators with Neural Ordinary Differential Equations for Long-Term Physical Forecasting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.11162/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Understanding the thickness and variability of internal ice layers in radar imagery is crucial for monitoring snow accumulation, assessing ice dynamics, and reducing uncertainties in climate models. Radar sensors, capable of penetrating ice, provide detailed radargram images of these internal layers. In this work, we present ST-GRIT, a spatio-temporal graph transformer for ice layer thickness, designed to process these radargrams and capture the spatiotemporal relationships between shallow and deep ice layers. ST-GRIT leverages an inductive geometric graph learning framework to extract local spatial features as feature embeddings and employs a series of temporal and spatial attention blocks separately to model long-range dependencies effectively in both dimensions. Experimental evaluation on radargram data from the Greenland ice sheet demonstrates that ST-GRIT consistently outperforms current state-of-the-art methods and other baseline graph neural networks by achieving lower root mean-squared error. These results highlight the advantages of self-attention mechanisms on graphs over pure graph neural networks, including the ability to handle noise, avoid oversmoothing, and capture long-range dependencies. Moreover, the use of separate spatial and temporal attention blocks allows for distinct and robust learning of spatial relationships and temporal patterns, providing a more comprehensive and effective approach.