Analysis of remote sensing and in situ datasets to estimate spatial precipitation in high mountain areas: case study Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Author(s):  
Edwin Loarte ◽  
Katy Medina ◽  
Eduardo Villavicencio ◽  
Hairo León ◽  
Waldo Lavado ◽  
...  

<p>The Santa River basin has a climatology that is characterized by strong spatial gradients in precipitation. The influence of topography becomes increasingly important when smaller time scales are considered and convective and orographic processes have a more profound influence. This makes its estimation complex and of relevance for research on precipitation estimation in high mountain environments.</p><p>This study focused on estimating precipitation for the Santa basin located north of the capital of Peru, assessing spatial patterns and temporal variation. Precipitation products were used at a daily temporal resolution obtained from remote sensing datasets, including CHIRPS, PERSIANN-CCS, GPM and PISCO, altitude and vegetation products as NDVI-BOKU and GDEM. Also ground-based precipitation data from weather stations were collected from 35 meteorological stations (2012 -2019).</p><p>The in situ precipitation data was reviewed, cleaned and quality-checked for processing. The following operations were applied to the raster data: Gaussian filter, resampling at 1km, temporal homogenization (monthly) by accumulating the precipitation products until obtaining the monthly values, and averaging. Afterwards, a linear regression model was built based in which various of the remote sensing datasets served as predictions. The model was validated using the mean square error and the coefficient of determination.</p><p>The developed regression model provides a better estimate of the precipitation than the individual precipitation dataset. Overall, the resulting model performs relatively low in the dry season (May-September) but improves considerably in the wet season (October-April), with correlations that go up to 0.95. The outcomes of this research can be used to improve the estimation of precipitation patterns in high mountain regions with complex orography.</p>

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlena Kycko ◽  
Bogdan Zagajewski ◽  
Samantha Lavender ◽  
Anca Dabija

Vegetation, through its condition, reflects the properties of the environment. Heterogeneous alpine ecosystems play a critical role in global monitoring systems, but due to low accessibility, cloudy conditions, and short vegetation periods, standard monitoring methods cannot be applied comprehensively. Hyperspectral tools offer a variety of methods based on narrow-band data, but before extrapolation to an airborne or satellite scale, they must be verified using plant biometrical variables. This study aims to assess the condition of alpine sward dominant species (Agrostis rupestris, Festuca picta, and Luzula alpino-pilosa) of the UNESCO Man&Biosphere Tatra National Park (TPN) where the high mountain grasslands are strongly influenced by tourists. Data were analyzed for trampled, reference, and recultivated polygons. The field-obtained hyperspectral properties were verified using ground measured photosynthetically active radiation, chlorophyll content, fluorescence, and evapotranspiration. Statistically significant changes in terms of cellular structures, chlorophyll, and water content in the canopy were detected. Lower values for the remote sensing indices were observed for trampled plants (about 10–15%). Species in recultivated areas were characterized by a similar, or sometimes improved, spectral properties than the reference polygons; confirmed by fluorescence measurements (Fv/Fm). Overall, the fluorescence analysis and remote sensing tools confirmed the suitability of such methods for monitoring species in remote mountain areas, and the general condition of these grasslands was determined as good.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayonil Gomes Carneiro ◽  
Alice Henkes ◽  
Gilberto Fisch ◽  
Camilla Kassar Borges

In the present study, the evolution the diurnal cycle of planetary boundary layer in the wet season at Amazon region during a period of intense observations carried out in the GOAmazon Project 2014/2015 (Green Ocean Amazon).The analysis includes radiosonde and remote sensing data. In general case, the results of the daily cycle in the wet season indicate a Nocturnal boundary layer with a small oscillation in its depth and with a tardy erosion. The convective boundary layer did not present great depth, responding to the low values of sensible heat of the wet season. A comparison between the different techniques(in situ observations and remote sensing)  for estimating the planetary boundary layer is also presented.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Fischer

<p>Today, photos play an important role in geoscience and public discussion. When photographical techniques developed during the second half of the 19th century, it took several decades uuntil high mountain areas and specific features could be captured with this technique, as a follow upt o traditional paintings and drawings. In European geography, Friedrich Simony developed the idea of tackling geomorphological processes by time lapse photography. Contemporary literature shows that his technique of combining photography with empirical data and theories was convincing, and that he established a new style of scientific discussion. Still, the comparison of historical with contemporary photography offers scientific insights and information which is not covered by any other type of empirical evidence as measurements, maps or descriptions. For example not only extent, but also firn and debris cover of glaciers, information on type and extent of vegetation,  the width and style of roads, details of infrastructure and cultural practices can be tackled from early photographs.  Several archives do allow not only acess to photographic documents, but also to metadata. Interdisciplinary effort has to be taken to further analyse this wealth of information.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Potic ◽  
Marko Joksimovic ◽  
Rajko Golic

Tourism is an indicator and the consequence of the development of many countries. Among the priority areas of the tourism strategy are high mountain areas with complex ecosystems. Mountain tourism in Serbia, as well as continental country is one of the leading forms of tourism through various projects stimulated by the state. In the last ten years, build up and expand the ski slopes of Stara planina in eastern Serbia, leading to various, mostly negative changes in the environment. This paper analyzes the changes in the forest areas of the site Babin Zub in years 2000 and 2013, using satellite imagery (Landsat 7 and Landsat 8) and remote sensing software. We used unsupervised multispectral analysis resolution 30 m and obtained data on forest areas. The aim is to draw attention to the change of vegetation cover and degradation of forest areas. Following to the experiences of the world's ski resorts, the paper presents the opportunities and examples of restoration of ski runs, and sustainable forest management in the studied highland area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Sergio Azzoni ◽  
Irene Bollati ◽  
Manuela Pelfini ◽  
Mehmet Akif Sarıkaya ◽  
Andrea Zerboni

<p>High mountain environments and especially proglacial systems, which are areas defined by subtracting modern glacier outlines from Little Ice Age (LIA) limits, are among the most dynamic geomorphic contexts on Earth. They are extremely sensitive to ongoing climate change and its consequences are especially intense – yet relatively poorly investigated – at middle-low latitudes, as in the case of the circum-Mediterranean mountainous contexts. This area (excluding the Alps) encompasses recently deglaciated ground from the borders of the Mediterranean Sea and comprises more than hundred ice bodies dramatically receding since their LIA extension. Most of these glaciers are completely disappeared leaving extensive proglacial areas, which differs from those described in the Alps for the timing and types of ongoing processes. Here, we present and discuss the unique characteristics of such dynamic proglacial contexts, focusing on recently deglaciated high mountain areas of Southeast Turkey that are affected by fast geomorphological evolution tuned by their specific climatic and geological settings. We compare two areas differing for climatic, structural, and lithological settings: i) the Mount Ararat/Ağrı Dağı (5137 m a.s.l.), a stratovolcano, and ii) the Cilo mountain range (up to 4116 m a.s.l.), characterized by a limestone bedrock. Since the LIA, the two areas underwent different trajectories of evolution and different rates of geomorphic processes. High-resolution satellite data from Pleiades and SPOT 6 platforms permit to investigate the overprint of specific local factors (volcanism, tectonic, and topography) on climate-driven surface evolution explains the specific evolution of each proglacial area.</p>


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1459
Author(s):  
Yolanda Sánchez Sánchez ◽  
Antonio Martínez Graña ◽  
Fernando Santos- Francés

Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental problems of the moment, especially in areas affected by wildfires. In this paper, we study pre-fire and post-fire erosion using remote sensing techniques with Sentinel-2 satellite images and LiDAR. The Normalized Burn Ratio is used to determine the areas affected by the fire that occurred on 18 August 2016 in the Natural Reserve of Garganta de los Infiernos (Cáceres). To calculate the erosion, the multi-criteria analysis is carried out from the RUSLE. Once all calculations were performed, there was a considerable increase in sediment production from 16 June 2016 (pre-fire) with an erosion of 31 T/ha·year to 16 June 2017 of 74 T/ha·year for areas of moderate fire severity, and an increase from 11 T/ha·year in 2016 to 70 T/ha·year for areas with a very high severity. From the NDVI, it was possible to verify that this also affected the recovery of post-fire vegetation, decreasing the NDVI index 0.36 in areas of moderate severity and 0.53 in areas of very high severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Martina Cignetti ◽  
Diego Guenzi ◽  
Francesca Ardizzone ◽  
Paolo Allasia ◽  
Daniele Giordan

Nowadays, the increasing demand to collect, manage and share archives of data supporting geo-hydrological processes investigations requires the development of spatial data infrastructure able to store geospatial data and ground deformation measurements, also considering multisource and heterogeneous data. We exploited the GeoNetwork open-source software to simultaneously organize in-situ measurements and radar sensor observations, collected in the framework of the HAMMER project study areas, all located in high mountain regions distributed in the Alpines, Apennines, Pyrenees and Andes mountain chains, mainly focusing on active landslides. Taking advantage of this free and internationally recognized platform based on standard protocols, we present a valuable instrument to manage data and metadata, both in-situ surface measurements, typically acquired at local scale for short periods (e.g., during emergency), and satellite observations, usually exploited for regional scale analysis of surface displacement. Using a dedicated web-interface, all the results derived by instrumental acquisitions and by processing of remote sensing images can be queried, analyzed and downloaded from both expert users and stakeholders. This leads to a useful instrument able to share various information within the scientific community, including the opportunity of reprocessing the raw data for other purposes and in other contexts.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 316-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Huggel ◽  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Wilfried Haeberli ◽  
Philippe Teysseire ◽  
Frank Paul

Glacier lakes are a common phenomenon in high mountain areas. Outbursts from glacier lakes have repeatedly caused the loss of human lives as well as severe damage to local infrastructure. In several high mountain ranges around the world, a grave uncertainty about the hazard potential of glacier lakes still exists, especially with respect to the effects of accelerating rates of glacier retreat as a consequence of atmospheric warming. Area-wide detection and modeling of glacier lake hazard potentials is, therefore, a major challenge. In this study, an approach integrating three scale levels allows for the progressive focus on critical glacier lakes. Remote sensing methods for application in glacier lake hazard assessment are presented, and include channel indexing, data fusion, and change detection. Each method matches the requirements of a certain scale level. For estimating potential disaster amplitudes, assessments must be made of maximum discharge and runout distance of outbursts floods and debris flows. Existing empirical relations are evaluated and complementary ones as derived from available data are proposed. Tests with observations from a recent outburst event from a moraine-dammed lake in the Swiss Alps show the basic applicability of the proposed techniques and the usefulness of empirical relations for first hazard assessments. In particular, the observed runout distance of the debris flow resulting from the outburst does not exceed the empirically estimated maximum runout distance. A list of decision criteria and related remote sensing techniques are discussed in conclusion. Such a list is an essential tool for evaluating the hazard potential of a lake. A systematic application of remote sensing based methods for glacier lake hazard assessment is recommended.Key words: glacier lake outburst, hazard potential, remote sensing, empirical parameters.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Kalesse ◽  
Patric Seifert ◽  
Martin Radenz ◽  
Johannes Bühl ◽  
Teresa Vogl ◽  
...  

<p>The southern midlatitudes and Sub-Antarctica are a key region for the Earth’s climate and a source for uncertainties in climate modelling. The low concentration of ice nucleating particles is considered to diminish the efficiency of heterogeneous ice formation. Climate models underestimate the supercooled liquid water content which causes shortwave radiation biases.</p><p>The project DACAPO-PESO (Dynamics, Aerosol, Cloud And Precipitation Observations in the Pristine Environment of the Southern Ocean) which is being conducted in Punta Arenas (53°S, 71°W), Chile from Nov 2018 – March 2020 is endorsed by YOPP (Year of Polar Prediction) and fills an observational gap in the Southern Oceans, for which to date hardly any combined observations of lidar, cloud radar and microwave radiometer are available.</p><p>During that field experiment, LACROS (Leipzig Aerosol and Cloud Remote Observations System) of Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) which comprises numerous remote sensing instruments, including multi-wavelength polarization Raman lidar, cloud radars, microwave radiometer, radiation sensors among others is deployed. From March 2019 onwards, additionally in-situ observations of the INP and cloud condensation nuclei properties were collected by TROPOS on a 623m high mountain 10 km upwind of the LACROS site. Meso-scale numerical modeling will provide support for interpretation of the results.</p><p>The presentation will be dedicated to</p><ol><li>a) provide an overview of the setup of DACAPO-PESO</li> <li>b) show case studies of how instrument synergies are used to characterize aerosol-cloud-interaction processes in the pristine atmosphere over Punta Arenas and</li> <li>c) show a case study of an Atmospheric River event which was also observed in Antarctica.</li> </ol>


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