UAV-Based Remote Sensing of Immediate Changes in Geomorphology Following a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood at the Zackenberg River, Northeast Greenland

Two detailed geomorphological maps (1:2000) depicting landscape changes as a result of a glacial lake outburst flood were produced for the 2.1-km-long section of the Zackenberg river, NE Greenland. The maps document the riverscape before the flood (5 August 2017) and immediately after the flood (8 August 2017), illustrating changes to the riverbanks and morphology of the channel. A series of additional maps (1:800) represent case studies of different types of riverbank responses, emphasising the importance of the lateral thermo-erosion and bank collapsing as significant immediate effects of the flood. The average channel width increased from 40.75 m pre-flood to 44.59 m post-flood, whereas the length of active riverbanks decreased from 1729 to 1657 m. The new deposits related to 2017 flood covered 93,702 m2. The developed maps demonstrated the applicability of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for investigating the direct effects of floods, even in the harsh Arctic environment

Quantification of short‐term transformations of proglacial landforms in a temperate, debris‐charged glacial landsystem, Kvíárjökull, Iceland

Proglacial areas are dynamic landscapes and important indicators of geomorphic changes related to climate warming. Systematic and repeat surveys of landforms presently evolving on glacier forelands facilitate the quantification of rates of change and an improved understanding of the processes generating those changes. We report short-term (2014–2022) transformations of the proglacial landscape in front of Kvíárjökull, SE Iceland, and place them in a longer-term context of glacial landsystem evolution using aerial image archives since 1945. Short-term quantification uses a time series of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys, processed utilizing a structure-from-motion (SfM) workflow, to produce digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophoto mosaics. The land elements surveyed include a kame terrace staircase, an outwash plain, an ice-cored hummocky moraine complex and ice-cored hummocky terrain with discontinuous sinuous ridges, for which elevation and volumetric changes are quantified. The kame terraces between 2014 and 2022 and the outwash plain between 2016 and 2022 were mainly stable with, respectively, 87% and 85% of their surfaces showing no change. The ice-cored hummocky terrain with discontinuous sinuous ridges underwent a volume loss of 64,632 m3 in 2016–2022, with a maximum surface lowering of ≤9 m. The most dynamic land element was the ice-cored hummocky moraine complex, with transformations recorded for more than 87% of its area in 2014–2022; the surface was lowered by ≤23 m in some places, with a total volume loss of 365,773 m3. Our results confirm the ongoing degradation of ice-cored moraine and outwash complexes at variable rates related to buried ice volume and age of deglaciation. The evolution of chaotic hummocky terrain from debris-covered glacier ice, glacitectonic thrust masses, outwash fans/heads and complex englacial esker networks is an important modern analogue for informing palaeoglaciological reconstructions

Post-little ice age glacial geomorphology of contrasting topographic settings at Skálafellsjökull, southeast Iceland

Glacial geomorphological mapping from the southern margin of Skálafellsjökull, southeast Iceland, depicts a topographically diverse mountainside, influencing glacier dynamics, landform formation and glacier retreat since the Little Ice Age maximum in ∼1890. The glacial landforms present are typical of southeast Icelandic temperate glaciers, comprising recessional push moraines, including sawtooth moraines, and associated fluting. Study area A demonstrates an abandoned lobe confined by steep V-shaped topography, displaying moraines and minimal fluting, suggesting low preservation of landforms, and changes in glacier behaviour. At study area B, the sawtooth moraine morphology demonstrates changes in the glacier margin as the ice interacted with a series of topographic benches during active recession. The steep-sided valley at study area C illustrates densely spaced arcuate moraines, reflecting subtle changes in ice elevation. This mapping provides a framework for further investigations into glacier retreat rates and the influence of local topography and climate

Effects of extreme natural events on the provision of ecosystem services in a mountain environment : The importance of trail design in delivering system resilience and ecosystem service co-benefits

A continued supply of ecosystem services (ES) from a system depends on the resilience of that system to withstand shocks and perturbations. In many parts of the world, climate change is leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather events, potentially influencing ES provision. Our study of the effects of an intense rainfall event in Gorce National Park, Poland, shows: (1) the intense rainfall event impacted heavily on the supply of ES by limiting potential recreation opportunities and reducing erosion prevention; (2) these negative impacts were not only restricted to the period of the extreme event but persisted for up to several years, depending on the pre-event trail conditions and post-event management activities; (3) to restore the pre-event supply of ES, economic investments were required in the form of active repairs to trails, which, in Gorce National Park, were an order of magnitude higher than the costs of normal trail maintenance; and (4) when recreational trails were left to natural restoration, loss of biodiversity was observed, and recovery rates of ES (recreation opportunities and soil erosion prevention) were reduced in comparison to their pre-event state. We conclude that proper trail design and construction provides a good solution to avoid some of the negative impacts of extreme events on recreation, as well as offering co-benefits in terms of protecting biodiversity and enhancing the supply of regulating services such as erosion prevention

Changes of Arctic landscape due to human impact, north part of Billefjorden area, Svalbard.

This study present indications of human impact on selected components of environment in the vicinity of Petunia Bay, Billefjorden, central Spitsbergen. The area is easy accessible and has low restriction of human activity so it is a need for monitoring of the human impact there. Three groups of objects were inventoried. Large-scale objects are attached to industrial impacts (mainly mining and transport of natural resources) – mines, warehouses, blocks. They are clustered around the west side of the bay – Pyramiden settlement. Medium-scale objects (mainly linear forms – path, tracks) were created by transport as well as scientifi c and tourist activity. Small-scale impacts (campsites, fi resites) were created mainly by scientists and tourists and scattered around whole study area. Industrial activity in this area took place between 1927 and 1998, but its tracks are persistent and hard to remove. Scientific and tourist movements also started at the beginning of the XX century, but nowadays the activities become more and more intensive

The problem of harmonization and integration of data in geographic information system for the assessment determinants of spatial development

Celem opracowania jest przedstawienie metod harmonizacji i integracji szczegółowych danych planistycznych na potrzeby zastosowania ich do analizy uwarunkowań rozwoju na poziomie lokalnym. W opracowaniu wykorzystano dane dla gmin powiatu poznańskiego. Każdemu ze studiów uwarunkowań i kierunków zagospodarowania przestrzennego nadano georeferencje, korzystając z podkładów topograficznych. Następnym krokiem była wektoryzacja poszczególnych wydzieleń oraz nadanie im wartości zgodnych z zawartymi w legendzie i opisie każdego ze studiów. W celu umożliwienia analiz w skali lokalnej dokonano harmonizacji wydzieleń pomiędzy poszczególnymi gminami.The aim of this study is to present methods for the harmonization and integration of detailed planning data for the use of them to analyse the determinants of development at the local level. The study is based on the data for the municipalities of the district of Poznan. Each of the planning documents was georefernced using topographic maps. The next step was the vectorization of individual polygons giving them a value consistent with those in the legend and the description of each of the studies. Harmonisation between the municipalities were done in order to enable analysis on a regional scale

Problem harmonizacji i integracji danych w systemach informacji geograficznej na potrzeby oceny uwarunkowań rozwoju przestrzennego

The aim of this study is to present methods for the harmonization and integration of detailed planning data for the use of them to analyse the determinants of development at the local level. The study is based on the data for the municipalities of the district of Poznan. Each of the planning documents was georefernced using topographic maps. The next step was the vectorization of individual polygons giving them a value consistent with those in the legend and the description of each of the studies. Harmonisation between the municipalities were done in order to enable analysis on a regional scale.Celem opracowania jest przedstawienie metod harmonizacji i integracji szczegółowych danych planistycznych na potrzeby zastosowania ich do analizy uwarunkowań rozwoju na poziomie lokalnym. W opracowaniu wykorzystano dane dla gmin powiatu poznańskiego. Każdemu ze studiów uwarunkowań i kierunków zagospodarowania przestrzennego nadano georeferencje, korzystając z podkładów topograficznych. Następnym krokiem była wektoryzacja poszczególnych wydzieleń oraz nadanie im wartości zgodnych z zawartymi w legendzie i opisie każdego ze studiów. W celu umożliwienia analiz w skali lokalnej dokonano harmonizacji wydzieleń pomiędzy poszczególnymi gminami

Evaluation of the Influence of Processing Parameters in Structure-from-Motion Software on the Quality of Digital Elevation Models and Orthomosaics in the Context of Studies on Earth Surface Dynamics

The fully automated Structure-from-Motion approach for developing digital elevation models and orthomosaics has been known and used in photogrammetry for at least 15 years. Years of practice and experience have allowed researchers to provide a solid description of the applicability and limitations of this method. That being said, the impact of input processing parameters in software on the quality of photogrammetric products has yet to be fully ascertained empirically. This study is aimed at identifying the most advantageous processing workflow to fill this research gap by testing 375 different setup variations in the Agisoft Metashape software for the same set of images acquired using an unmanned aerial vehicle in a proglacial area. The purpose of the experiment was to determine three workflows: (1) the fastest, which has the shortest calculation time; (2) the best quality, which is as accurate as possible, regardless of the time taken for the calculations; and (3) the optimal, which is a compromise between accuracy and calculation time. Each of the 375 processing setup variations was assessed based on final product accuracy, i.e., orthomosaics and digital elevation models. The three workflows were selected based on calculating the height differences between the digital elevation models and the control points that did not participate in their georeferencing. The analyses of the root mean square errors (RMSE) and standard deviations indicate that excluding some of the optimization parameters during the camera optimization stage results in high RMSE and an increase in the values of standard deviation errors. Furthermore, it was shown that increasing the detail of individual processing steps in software does not always positively affect the accuracy of the resulting models. The experiment resulted in the development of three different workflows in the form of Python scripts for Agisoft Metashape software, which will help users to process image sets efficiently in the context of earth surface dynamics studies