Abstract
Ground surface changes caused by freeze-thaw action affect agriculture and forestry, as well as artificial structures such as roads. In this study, an area is examined in which reforestation is urgently needed but the growth of naturally restored seedlings and planted trees is impaired by freeze-thaw action. Thus, a method of measuring freeze-thaw induced ground surface changes and mitigating their negative impacts is needed. Real-time kinematic unmanned aerial vehicle and structure-from-motion multiview stereophotogrammetry are used on slope-failure sites in forest areas to observe the ground surface changes caused by freeze-thaw action over a wide area, in a nondestructive manner. The slope characteristics influencing the ground-surface changes were examined, and it was confirmed that it is possible to observe minute topographical changes of less than ±5 cm resulting from freeze-thaw action. Statistical models show that the amount of freeze-thaw action is mostly linked to the cumulative solar radiation, daily ground-surface temperature range, and topographic-wetness index, which influence the microscale dynamics of the ground surface. The proposed method will be useful for future quantitative assessments of ground-surface conditions. Further, efficient reforestation could be implemented by considering the effects of the factors identified on the amount of freeze-thaw action.
Highlights
Freeze-thaw action of soil occurs worldwide wherever the minimum temperature is below 0 ◦ C, and it is especially noticeable in soils that are highly susceptible to frost heaving, such as volcanic-ash and peat layers
Accuracy, and Applicability of digital surface models (DSMs) Created from real-time kinematic (RTK)-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Images
Obanawa et al [21] verified the accuracy of DSMs created from RTK-UAV images and found errors of 0.037 to 0.327, 0.096 to 0.231 m, and 0.062 to 0.105 m in the X, Y, and
Summary
Freeze-thaw action of soil occurs worldwide wherever the minimum temperature is below 0 ◦ C, and it is especially noticeable in soils that are highly susceptible to frost heaving, such as volcanic-ash and peat layers. Freeze-thaw action can negatively affect human activity. In agriculture and forestry, it reportedly inhibits water flow and can cut plant roots, resulting in lodging [1]. Freeze-thaw action damages artificial structures such as roads [2]. The frequency and intensity of freeze-thaw cycles can show a heterogeneous spatial distribution on a small scale (e.g., microtopography) depending on the environmental conditions [3]. Quantifying the spatial distribution of freeze-thaw action is essential to mitigating its negative impacts on human activities
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