Abstract
Within a drainage system, drainage ditches are designed to improve existing natural drainage. Although drainage ditches are mostly engineered, they can also be part of natural watercourses. For environmental sustainability, in many places there are guidelines to establish vegetative buffer strips along the boundary of drainage ditches. In this landscape planning study, a geospatial modeling framework was established to identify these drainage system landforms and the boundary that separates these landforms from their surrounding areas across Waseca County in south-central Minnesota. By employing almost 2000 GPS spot elevation measurements from five ditch systems and one-meter Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) derived digital elevation model (DEM) data, the drainage ditch berm polygons were delineated. Eight low light angle hillshade rasters at 45-degree azimuth intervals were used to construct the model. These hillshade rasters were combined to form a composite raster so that the effect of multiple azimuths can be captured during ditch berm delineation. The GPS points identified as the top of the berm were used to extract cell values from the combined hillshade. These cell values were modeled further using statistical distribution graphs. The statistical model derived +0.5 and +1 standard deviation values (cell values 812 and 827, respectively) of the combined hillshade raster were utilized to obtain complete berm polygons. In this semi-automated method, between 67.30% to 79.80% of ditch berm lengths were mapped with an average error that is less than the resolution of the DEM. Demarcation of these boundaries are important for local governments in Minnesota and throughout the world, as it could help guide land–water management and aid sustainable agriculture.
Highlights
Landforms have been described as specific segments of terrain within the land surface that may or may not be contiguous [1]
VHiislulsahladinesApneacltyiosins of the ditch systems in Waseca County indicates that no system consistently flowedViesxuaacltilnysepaescttitoonwofesttheordnitochrthsytsotesmous tihn
Drainage landforms can be identified in the landscape when the appropriate scale and boundary definitions are used. It requires knowledge of the spatial extent that defines the feature within the landscape. Whether it is natural or engineered, drainage is integral to the landscape through which waters are removed via channelized watercourses
Summary
Landforms have been described as specific segments of terrain within the land surface that may or may not be contiguous [1]. Agricultural drainage systems have been viewed as a benefit to the rural landscape [12] This type of drainage landform has been perceived to have detrimental environmental impacts downstream [13]. Drainage ditches are mostly engineered; they can be part of natural watercourses that exist in the landscape. These aboveground systems are often augmented with underground tile systems that aid in the removal of water from the landscape. Roadside ditches are those engineered drainage areas adjacent to and alongside roads [15]
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