Geomorphology of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin: A GIS-based approach to hydrogeologic mapping

This paper classifies the karst landscapes of the Petén Plateau and defines the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin by illustrating the distribution of its karst hydrologic features. Archaeological and spatial research of the Mirador-Calakmul area of Guatemala and Mexico has shown it to be a karst basin with geopolitical implications. Current research characterizes the karst landscapes of the Petén Plateau, maps the distribution of karst hydrologic features, and delineates the basin in geomorphological terms. To further this aim, multiple forms of remote sensing data including orthophotographs, a satellite Digital Elevation Model, satellite multispectral images, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data have been integrated to interpret the karst features in the study area. Outcrop study and thin section analysis of the upper Buena Vista Formation document that the dominant lithologies are a shallow water algal boundstone interbedded with terrestrial caliche. Karst landforms have been mapped over the Petén Plateau and we identify five karst landscapes, the largest of which is a fluviokarst landscape dominated by karst valleys. We further map karst hydrologic features including seasonal swamps, dolines, intermittent lakes, intermittent streams, solution-enhanced fractures, and springs all of which are characteristic of drainage basins. Boundaries of the karst basin are mapped from multiple lines of evidence including distribution of the karst valleys, a line of springs along the western boundary of the fluviokarst landscape, and a surface drainage analysis. We capture and classify hydrologic data points and develop a regional groundwater map that indicates subsurface flow from east to west within the basin. A drainage map illustrates the extensive system of karst valleys, boundaries, and inferred groundwater flow paths of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin. It was within this geomorphological setting that the ancient Maya developed an extensive civilization during the Middle and Late Preclassic periods (1000 BCE-150 CE).

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New methodical approaches to mapping of geosystems (by the example of Baikalian Siberia’s geosystems)

Geodesy and Cartography ◽

10.22389/0016-7126-2018-937-7-23-34 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 937 (7) ◽

pp. 23-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I.N. Vladimirov

Keyword(s):

Global Climate ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Field Research ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Nature Management ◽

Climate Data ◽

Structural Dynamic ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

North Asia ◽

Elevation Model

The article considers a new approach to landscape mapping based on the synthesis of remote sensing data of high and medium spatial resolution, a digital elevation model, maps of various thematic contents, a set of global climate data, and materials of field research. The map of the Baikalian’s Siberia geosystems is based on the principles of the multistage regional-typological and structural-dynamic classification of geosystems proposed by Academician V.B. Sochava. The structure of the geosystems of the Baikalian Siberia is characterized by great complexity, both in the set of natural complexes and in the degree of their contrast. The regional classification range covers the geosystems inherent in different subcontinents of Asia and reflects their interpenetration, being a unique landscape-situational example of Siberian nature within North Asia. The map of the geosystems of the Baikalian Siberia reflects the main structural and dynamic diversity of geosystems in the region in the systems of their geographic and genetic spatial structures. These landscape cartographic studies fit into a single system of geographic forecasting and create a new fundamental scientific basis for developing recommendations for optimizing nature management in the Baikal region within the framework of implementing state environmental policy.

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Estimating the ice thickness of the Müller Ice Cap using an inversion of the shallow ice approximation

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11602 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ann-Sofie Priergaard Zinck ◽

Aslak Grinsted

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing Data ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Mean Squared Errors ◽

Ice Caps ◽

Ice Cap ◽

Regression Parameters ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Elevation Model

The ice thickness of the M&#252;ller Ice Cap, Arctic Canada, is estimated using regression parameters obtained from an inversion of the shallow ice approximation by the use of a single Operation IceBridge flight line in combination with the glacier outline, surface slope, and elevation. The model is compared with an iterative inverse method of estimating the bedrock topography using PISM as a forward model. In both models the surface elevation is given by the Arctic Digital Elevation Model. The root mean squared errors of the ice thickness on the ice cap is 131 m and 139 m for the shallow ice inversion and the PISM model, respectively. Including the outlet glaciers increases the root mean squared errors to 136 m and 396 m, respectively. The simplicity of the shallow ice inversion model, combined with the good results and the fact that only remote sensing data is needed, means that there is a possibility of applying this model in a global glacier thickness estimate by using the Randolph Glacier Inventory. Most global glacier estimates only provide the volume and not the ice thickness of the glaciers. Hence, global ice thickness models is of great importance in quantifying the potential contribution of sea level rise from the glaciers and ice caps around the globe.

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A Probabilistic Assessment of Soil Erosion Susceptibility in a Head Catchment of the Jemma Basin, Ethiopian Highlands

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences10070248 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 248 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mariaelena Cama ◽

Calogero Schillaci ◽

Jan Kropáček ◽

Volker Hochschild ◽

Alberto Bosino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Gully Erosion ◽

Entropy Model ◽

Global Issues ◽

Susceptibility Maps ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Color Composite

Soil erosion represents one of the most important global issues with serious effects on agriculture and water quality, especially in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, where rapid population growth and climatic changes affect widely mountainous areas. The Meskay catchment is a head catchment of the Jemma Basin draining into the Blue Nile (Central Ethiopia) and is characterized by high relief energy. Thus, it is exposed to high degradation dynamics, especially in the lower parts of the catchment. In this study, we aim at the geomorphological assessment of soil erosion susceptibilities. First, a geomorphological map was generated based on remote sensing observations. In particular, we mapped three categories of landforms related to (i) sheet erosion, (ii) gully erosion, and (iii) badlands using a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). The map was validated by a detailed field survey. Subsequently, we used the three categories as dependent variables in a probabilistic modelling approach to derive the spatial distribution of the specific process susceptibilities. In this study we applied the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). The independent variables were derived from a set of spatial attributes describing the lithology, terrain, and land cover based on remote sensing data and DEMs. As a result, we produced three separate susceptibility maps for sheet and gully erosion as well as badlands. The resulting susceptibility maps showed good to excellent prediction performance. Moreover, to explore the mutual overlap of the three susceptibility maps, we generated a combined map as a color composite where each color represents one component of water erosion. The latter map yields useful information for land-use managers and planning purposes.

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Improving estimation of glacier volume change: a GLIMS case study of Bering Glacier System, Alaska

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-2-33-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 33-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

M. J. Beedle ◽

M. Dyurgerov ◽

W. Tangborn ◽

S. J. S. Khalsa ◽

C. Helm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Volume Change ◽

Balance Model ◽

Drainage Basins ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Glacier System ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Bering Glacier ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Dependent Mass

Abstract. The Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project has developed tools and methods that can be employed by analysts to create accurate glacier outlines. To illustrate the importance of accurate glacier outlines and the effectiveness of GLIMS standards we conducted a case study on Bering Glacier System (BGS), Alaska. BGS is a complex glacier system aggregated from multiple drainage basins, numerous tributaries, and many accumulation areas. Published measurements of BGS surface area vary from 1740 to 6200 km2, depending on how the boundaries of this system have been defined. Utilizing GLIMS tools and standards we have completed a new outline (3630 km2) and analysis of the area-altitude distribution (hypsometry) of BGS using Landsat images from 2000 and 2001 and a US Geological Survey 15-min digital elevation model. We compared this new hypsometry with three different hypsometries to illustrate the errors that result from the widely varying estimates of BGS extent. The use of different BGS hypsometries results in highly variable measures of volume change and net balance (bn). Applying a simple hypsometry-dependent mass-balance model to different hypsometries results in a bn rate range of −1.0 to −3.1 m a−1 water equivalent (W.E.), a volume change range of −3.8 to −6.7 km3 a−1 W.E., and a near doubling in contributions to sea level equivalent, 0.011 mm a−1 to 0.019 mm a−1. Current inaccuracies in glacier outlines hinder our ability to correctly quantify glacier change. Understanding of glacier extents can become comprehensive and accurate. Such accuracy is possible with the increasing volume of satellite imagery of glacierized regions, recent advances in tools and standards, and dedication to this important task.

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Landscape Sustainability Evaluation of Ecologically Fragile Areas Based on Boltzmann Entropy

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi9020077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 77 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jingyi Xu ◽

Xiaoying Liang ◽

Hai Chen

Keyword(s):

Configurational Entropy ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Quantitative Relationship ◽

Field Investigation ◽

Shaanxi Province ◽

Landscape Sustainability ◽

Boltzmann Entropy ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Evaluation Matrix

From the perspective of landscape, it is important to evaluate the landscape sustainability of ecologically fragile areas and explore temporal and spatial evolution laws to promote their sustainable development. Presently, most studies on the analysis of landscape Boltzmann entropy (also called configurational entropy) are based on a single landscape, and most of these studies are theoretical discussions. However, there are few case studies on landscape ecology. The main objectives of this paper are to explore a quantitative relationship between Boltzmann entropy and landscape sustainability, to propose a method for evaluating landscape sustainability based on Boltzmann entropy, and to evaluate the sustainability of diverse landscapes in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, China. This article uses digital elevation model (DEM) data with a spatial resolution of 30 m in Mizhi County. The remote sensing data on Mizhi County from 2000 were obtained by the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) + sensor, and the high-resolution image of Mizhi County from 2015 was obtained by the Gaofen-1 satellite. In this article, the subbasins are taken as the evaluation unit, and the Boltzmann entropy of Mizhi County is calculated based on the experts’ scoring of landscape sustainability in the study area. Through the analysis of landscape sustainability results from 216 subbasins in Mizhi County in 2000 and 2015, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) the evaluation matrix proposed in this paper is effective, and the Boltzmann entropy obtained by this method can directly reflect the level of landscape sustainability; (2) during the research period, the landscape sustainability of Mizhi County showed a good trend overall, especially the three townships of Taozhen, Shadian, and Shigou, which were significantly improved, and these findings were consistent with the field investigation; (3) on the spatial level, the landscape sustainability of mid-eastern Mizhi County is relatively poor compared to that in other regions, but the sustainability is also slowly increasing.

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Topography and dynamics of Austfonna, Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, from SAR interferometry

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500012519 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 403-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Beverley Unwin ◽

Duncan Wingham

Keyword(s):

Sar Interferometry ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Drainage Basins ◽

Ice Caps ◽

Radar Images ◽

Differential Interferometry ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Radio Echo Sounding ◽

Velocity Information ◽

Elevation Model

The ice caps of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, represent one of the largest glaciated areas outside of Antarctica and Greenland. They demonstrate a variety of different flow regimes within a comparatively compact area. We report on the first interferometrically derived elevation models and velocity visualisations of Austfonna. This initial investigation had three purposes: to determine whether the coherence and velocity characteristics of the region permitted interferometric survey; to determine the accuracy of derived elevations; and to assess the possibility of investigating time-variant flow of the more dynamic ice bodies using differential interferometry. A trio of coherent synthetic aperture radar images from ERS-1 ’s First Ice Phase was identified. The images were combined to separate the topographic and velocity components of the resultant interferograms. The topographic phase difference was used to produce a digital elevation model of Austfonna. Its accuracy relative to radio-echo-sounding derived tie-points is 8 m and its resolution 40 m. We also present synoptic views of the velocity field of three of Austfonna’s drainage basins, and comment on the extraction of useful velocity information.

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Digitization and mapping of national legacy soil data of Montenegro

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/81/2017-swr ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 83-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Salković ◽

I. Djurović ◽

M. Knežević ◽

V. Popović-Bugarin ◽

A. Topalović

Keyword(s):

Soil Phosphorus ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Principal Component ◽

Predictor Variables ◽

Initial Assessment ◽

Initial Attempt ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Data Points ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Physical And Chemical

This paper describes the process of digitizing Montenegro’s legacy soil data, and an initial attempt to use it for digital soil mapping (DSM) purposes. The handwritten legacy numerical records of physical and chemical properties for more than 10 000 soil profiles and semi-profiles covering whole Montenegro have been digitized, and, out of those, more than 3000 have been georeferenced. Problems and challenges of digitization addressed in the paper are: processing of non-uniform handwritten numerical records, parsing a complex textual representation of those records, georeferencing the records using digitized (scanned) legacy soil maps, creating a single computer database containing all digitized records, transforming, cleaning and validating the data. For an initial assessment of the suitability of these data for mapping purposes, inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), multiple linear regression (LR), and regression-kriging (RK) interpolation models were applied to create thematic maps of soil phosphorus. The area chosen for mapping is a 400 km2 area near the city of Cetinje, containing 125 data points. LR and RK models were developed using publicly available digital elevation model (DEM) data and satellite global land survey (GLS) data as predictor variables. The digitized phosphorus quantities were normalized and scaled. The predictor variables were scaled, and principal component analysis was performed. For the best performing RK model an R2 value of 0.23 was obtained.

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Derivation of groundwater flow-paths based on semi-automatic extraction of lineaments from remote sensing data

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-15-2665-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (8) ◽

pp. 2665-2678 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

U. Mallast ◽

R. Gloaguen ◽

S. Geyer ◽

T. Rödiger ◽

C. Siebert

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Flow ◽

Auxiliary Information ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Structural Features ◽

Dead Sea ◽

Flow Paths ◽

Significant Information ◽

In Situ Data ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Well Data

Abstract. In this paper we present a semi-automatic method to infer groundwater flow-paths based on the extraction of lineaments from digital elevation models. This method is especially adequate in remote and inaccessible areas where in-situ data are scarce. The combined method of linear filtering and object-based classification provides a lineament map with a high degree of accuracy. Subsequently, lineaments are differentiated into geological and morphological lineaments using auxiliary information and finally evaluated in terms of hydro-geological significance. Using the example of the western catchment of the Dead Sea (Israel/Palestine), the orientation and location of the differentiated lineaments are compared to characteristics of known structural features. We demonstrate that a strong correlation between lineaments and structural features exists. Using Euclidean distances between lineaments and wells provides an assessment criterion to evaluate the hydraulic significance of detected lineaments. Based on this analysis, we suggest that the statistical analysis of lineaments allows a delineation of flow-paths and thus significant information on groundwater movements. To validate the flow-paths we compare them to existing results of groundwater models that are based on well data.

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CREATION OF GIS-RESOURCES FOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC ZONING OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY RUSSIAN-MONGOLIAN TERRITORY

Vestnik SSUGT (Siberian State University of Geosystems and Technologies) ◽

10.33764/2411-1759-2021-26-2-91-102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 91-102

Author(s):

Andrew N. Beshentsev ◽

◽

Alexander A. Ayurzhanaev ◽

Bator V. Sodnomov ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Statistical Research ◽

Active Biomass ◽

Sensing Data ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Geographical Characteristics

The article is aimed at the development of methodological foundations for the creation of geoin-formation resources of transboundary territories based on cartographic materials and remote sensing data, as well as physical and geographical zoning of the transboundary Russian-Mongolian territory. The methodological basis of the study is cartographic and statistical research methods, geoinformation technology, as well as processing and analysis of remote sensing data. As a result, the study deter-mines the features of geoinformation resources, presents their characteristics, develops a classification and substantiates their integrating value in making interstate territorial decisions. The article gives the physical and geographical characteristics of the territory, determines the scale of mapping, establishes the basic units of geoinformation mapping and modeling, creates the coverage of the basin division, and proposes a scheme for creating basic geoinformation resources for the physical and geographical zoning of the territory. Based on the analysis of the digital elevation model, the territory was zoned according to the morphometric parameters of the relief. As a result of processing and analysis of Landsat images at different times, the territory was zoned in terms of the amount of photosynthetically active biomass (NDVI). As a result of zoning, 6 physical-geographical regions and 33 physical-geographical areas were identified.

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Impact of sea level rise and shoreline changes in the tropical island ecosystem of Andaman and Nicobar region, India

10.21203/rs.3.rs-245124/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

mageswaran thangaraj ◽

Sachithanandam V ◽

Sridhar R ◽

Manik Mahapatra ◽

R Purvaja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Data Sets ◽

Andaman Island ◽

Shoreline Changes ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Analysis System ◽

Elevation Model

Abstract We report here a four decades of shoreline changes and possible sea level rise (SLR) impact on landuse/landcover (LULC) in Little Andaman Island by using remote sensing (RS) and GIS techniques. A total of six remote sensing data sets covering years between 1976 and 2018 were used to understand the shoreline changes. Moreover, a Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) was used to estimate short- and long- term shoreline changes from ArcGIS environment. Besides, the Island vulnerability due to SLR was studied through using digital elevation model (DEM). As a result of Sumatra earthquake (2004), the results were showed a significant variation in shorline upliftment and subsidence. The land subsidence was noticed in the range of 1042-3077 ha with sea level rise between 1 and 5 m. Hence, we conclude that Little Andaman Island is vulnerable to SLR and overwhelm low elvation coastal zone.

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