Brief communication: An autonomous UAV for catchment-wide monitoring of a debris flow torrent
Fabian Walter,Elias Hodel,Erik Schytt Mannerfelt,Kristen Cook,Michael Dietze,Livia Estermann,Michael T. Wenner,Daniel Farinotti,Martin J. Fengler,Lukas Hammerschmidt,Flavia Hänsli,Jacob Hirschberg,Brian W. McArdell,Peter Molnar +13 more
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In this article , the authors combine modern photogrammetric processing with autonomous unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) flights at sub-weekly intervals to map sediment dynamics in a debris flow catchment.Abstract:
Abstract. Debris flows threaten communities in mountain regions worldwide. Combining modern photogrammetric processing with autonomous unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) flights at sub-weekly intervals allows mapping of sediment dynamics in a debris flow catchment. This provides important information for sediment disposition that pre-conditions the catchment for debris flow occurrence. At the Illgraben debris flow catchment in Switzerland, our autonomous UAV launched nearly 50 times in the snow-free periods in 2019–2021 with typical flight intervals of 2–4 d, producing 350–400 images every flight. The observed terrain changes resulting from debris flows exhibit preferred locations of erosion and deposition, including memory effects as previously deposited material is preferentially removed during subsequent debris flows. Such data are critical for the validation of geomorphological process models. Given the remote terrain, the mapped short-term erosion and deposition structures are difficult to obtain with conventional measurements. The proposed method thus fills an observational gap, which ground-based monitoring and satellite-based remote sensing cannot fill as a result of limited access, reaction time, spatial resolution, or involved costs.
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Towards an automated acquisition and parametrization of debris‐flow prone torrent channel properties based on photogrammetric‐derived uncrewed aerial vehicle data
Gregor Schmucki,Perry Bartelt,Yves Bühler,Andrin Caviezel,Christoph Graf,Mauro Marty,Andreas Stoffel,Christian Huggel +7 more
TL;DR: In this article , LiDAR data was used for an objective method of estimating debris-flow torrent geometric properties, such as torrent bed width, inclination and cross-section area.
References
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TL;DR: The typical workflow applied by SfM-MVS software packages is detailed, practical details of implementing S fM- MVS are reviewed, existing validation studies to assess practically achievable data quality are combined, and the range of applications in physical geography are reviewed.
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Optimising UAV topographic surveys processed with structure-from-motion: Ground control quality, quantity and bundle adjustment
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Storm rainfall conditions for floods and debris flows from recently burned areas in southwestern Colorado and southern California
TL;DR: In this article, the authors document the rainfall conditions that have triggered post-fire debris flows and develop empirical rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for the occurrence of debris flows following wildfires in these settings.
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The role of debris supply conditions in predicting debris flow activity
Michael J. Bovis,Matthias Jakob +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, multiple regression was used to predict magnitude, peak discharge, frequency and activity (frequency times magnitude) within each group of basins in southwest British Columbia, and improved the model performance by stratifying the total sample of debris flow basins into weathering-and transport-limited groups.
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An evaluation of the effectiveness of low-cost UAVs and structure from motion for geomorphic change detection
TL;DR: In this article, a simple low-cost UAV was deployed to calculate high resolution topography in the Daan River gorge in western Taiwan, a site with a complicated 3D morphology and a wide range of surface types, making it a challenging site for topographic measurement.