Comparison of gully erosion estimates using airborne and ground-based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California

Ryan L. Perroy; Bodo Bookhagen; Gregory P. Asner; Oliver A. Chadwick

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.01.009

Comparison of gully erosion estimates using airborne and ground-based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California

Ryan L. Perroy, Bodo Bookhagen, Gregory P. Asner, Oliver A. Chadwick

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

200 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gully erosion removes comparatively large volumes of soil from small areas. It is often difficult to quantify the loss of soil because the footprint of individual gullies is too small to be captured by most generally available digital elevation models (DEMs), such as the USGS National Elevation Dataset. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has the potential to provide the required data density, but an even newer class of ground-based sensors may provide better local resolution at lower cost. In this study, we compared digital elevation models produced by airborne and ground-based LiDAR systems with ground-based geomorphic and geodetic survey data to determine their utility in quantifying volumetric soil loss due to gully erosion in a heavily degraded watershed (7.55×10^-2km²), on southwestern Santa Cruz Island in southern California. Volumetric estimates of the eroded sediment were produced by comparing the LiDAR-derived DEMs of the gully system to a modeled pre-erosion surface. Average point densities were significantly higher for the ground-based LiDAR system and provided more detailed information; however, its limited scanning footprint and side-looking orientation presented serious challenges in collecting continuous data from deeply incised gullies, making the airborne system preferable for this type of investigation and likely for most applications where heavy topographic shadowing is prevalent.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	288-300
Number of pages	13
Journal	Geomorphology
Volume	118
Issue number	3-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.01.009
State	Published - Jun 2010
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Erosion
Gully
LiDAR
Mediterranean climate
Volume estimates

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Earth-Surface Processes

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10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.01.009

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@article{76f9d67d932b4e08b88016e0cc8af10a,

title = "Comparison of gully erosion estimates using airborne and ground-based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California",

abstract = "Gully erosion removes comparatively large volumes of soil from small areas. It is often difficult to quantify the loss of soil because the footprint of individual gullies is too small to be captured by most generally available digital elevation models (DEMs), such as the USGS National Elevation Dataset. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has the potential to provide the required data density, but an even newer class of ground-based sensors may provide better local resolution at lower cost. In this study, we compared digital elevation models produced by airborne and ground-based LiDAR systems with ground-based geomorphic and geodetic survey data to determine their utility in quantifying volumetric soil loss due to gully erosion in a heavily degraded watershed (7.55×10-2km2), on southwestern Santa Cruz Island in southern California. Volumetric estimates of the eroded sediment were produced by comparing the LiDAR-derived DEMs of the gully system to a modeled pre-erosion surface. Average point densities were significantly higher for the ground-based LiDAR system and provided more detailed information; however, its limited scanning footprint and side-looking orientation presented serious challenges in collecting continuous data from deeply incised gullies, making the airborne system preferable for this type of investigation and likely for most applications where heavy topographic shadowing is prevalent.",

keywords = "Erosion, Gully, LiDAR, Mediterranean climate, Volume estimates",

author = "Perroy, {Ryan L.} and Bodo Bookhagen and Asner, {Gregory P.} and Chadwick, {Oliver A.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank The Nature Conservancy and the University of California Natural Reserve System, specifically Lyndal Laughrin, for access to southwestern Santa Cruz Island; Mike Kambitsch at Pacific Western Aerial Surveys and the UCSB Map and Imagery Laboratory for access to historic aerial imagery, and the following people for assistance in the field: Caroline Guebels, Billy Doles, James Worthington, Hendrik Wulf, Mark Collar, Katherine Lindburgh, Park Williams, Jeff Howarth and Carl Legleiter. The research described in this paper has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship Program. The EPA has not officially endorsed this publication and the views expressed herein may not reflect the views of the EPA.",

year = "2010",

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language = "English (US)",

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AU - Bookhagen, Bodo

AU - Asner, Gregory P.

AU - Chadwick, Oliver A.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank The Nature Conservancy and the University of California Natural Reserve System, specifically Lyndal Laughrin, for access to southwestern Santa Cruz Island; Mike Kambitsch at Pacific Western Aerial Surveys and the UCSB Map and Imagery Laboratory for access to historic aerial imagery, and the following people for assistance in the field: Caroline Guebels, Billy Doles, James Worthington, Hendrik Wulf, Mark Collar, Katherine Lindburgh, Park Williams, Jeff Howarth and Carl Legleiter. The research described in this paper has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship Program. The EPA has not officially endorsed this publication and the views expressed herein may not reflect the views of the EPA.

PY - 2010/6

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N2 - Gully erosion removes comparatively large volumes of soil from small areas. It is often difficult to quantify the loss of soil because the footprint of individual gullies is too small to be captured by most generally available digital elevation models (DEMs), such as the USGS National Elevation Dataset. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has the potential to provide the required data density, but an even newer class of ground-based sensors may provide better local resolution at lower cost. In this study, we compared digital elevation models produced by airborne and ground-based LiDAR systems with ground-based geomorphic and geodetic survey data to determine their utility in quantifying volumetric soil loss due to gully erosion in a heavily degraded watershed (7.55×10-2km2), on southwestern Santa Cruz Island in southern California. Volumetric estimates of the eroded sediment were produced by comparing the LiDAR-derived DEMs of the gully system to a modeled pre-erosion surface. Average point densities were significantly higher for the ground-based LiDAR system and provided more detailed information; however, its limited scanning footprint and side-looking orientation presented serious challenges in collecting continuous data from deeply incised gullies, making the airborne system preferable for this type of investigation and likely for most applications where heavy topographic shadowing is prevalent.

AB - Gully erosion removes comparatively large volumes of soil from small areas. It is often difficult to quantify the loss of soil because the footprint of individual gullies is too small to be captured by most generally available digital elevation models (DEMs), such as the USGS National Elevation Dataset. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has the potential to provide the required data density, but an even newer class of ground-based sensors may provide better local resolution at lower cost. In this study, we compared digital elevation models produced by airborne and ground-based LiDAR systems with ground-based geomorphic and geodetic survey data to determine their utility in quantifying volumetric soil loss due to gully erosion in a heavily degraded watershed (7.55×10-2km2), on southwestern Santa Cruz Island in southern California. Volumetric estimates of the eroded sediment were produced by comparing the LiDAR-derived DEMs of the gully system to a modeled pre-erosion surface. Average point densities were significantly higher for the ground-based LiDAR system and provided more detailed information; however, its limited scanning footprint and side-looking orientation presented serious challenges in collecting continuous data from deeply incised gullies, making the airborne system preferable for this type of investigation and likely for most applications where heavy topographic shadowing is prevalent.

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KW - Mediterranean climate

KW - Volume estimates

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Comparison of gully erosion estimates using airborne and ground-based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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