Abstract
The Arctic is a region undergoing continuous and significant changes in land relief due to different glaciological, geomorphological and hydrogeological processes. To study those phenomena, digital elevation models (DEMs) and highly accurate maps with high spatial resolution are of prime importance. In this work, we assess the accuracy of high-resolution photogrammetric DEMs and orthomosaics derived from aerial images captured in 2020 over Hornsund, Svalbard. Further, we demonstrate the accuracy of DEMs generated using point clouds acquired in 2021 with a Riegl VZ®-6000 terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). Aerial and terrestrial data were georeferenced and registered based on very reliable ground control points measured in the field. Both DEMs, however, had some data gaps due to insufficient overlaps in aerial images and limited sensing range of the TLS. Therefore, we compared and integrated the two techniques to create a continuous and gapless DEM for the scientific community in Svalbard. This approach also made it possible to identify geomorphological activity over a one-year period, such as the melting of ice cores at the periglacial zone, changes along the shoreline or snow thickness in gullies. The study highlights the potential for combining other techniques to represent the active processes in this region.
Highlights
The digital elevation models (DEMs) was exported to raster format with 0.169 m resolution, the best possible resolution with this software, to increase the possibility of mapping even the smallest geomorphological features [16]
The vertical quality of the DEM was assessed based on 29 ground control pointspoints (GCPs) that were not used in the aerotriangulation process (Figure 4A)
The Hornsund area is the site in the focus of several studies due to the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station
Summary
Biological [15] studies performed due to intensive alterations in the surveyed terrain. Digital mapping of such an environment and its related phenomena has become a fundamental requirement to keep track of all such alterations [16]. The most up-to-date, accurate and precise digital elevation models (DEM) for the study area are generated based on high-resolution satellites and aerial photos [17]. The DEM with the highest spatial resolution (2 m) and accuracy (standard deviation = 0.6 m) is derived from aerial photographs taken in 2011. To monitor climate-induced change in the territory, there is a need for more frequent and accurate data on terrain elevation [17].
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