On the origin of a remote mountainous natural reserve: Insights from a topo-bathymetry reconstruction of the glacial lake of Truchillas (NW Spain)

Abstract

Habitat characterization is a basic requirement for monitoring and management of natural landscapes. Generally, ecologists and geomorphologists need tools that allow them to provide thematic information for suitable management plans development. Thus, the production of three-dimensional (3-D) landscape reconstructions provides relevant information for decision-makers and stakeholders. This situation is extraordinarily complex in natural reserves, where intrinsic and extrinsic decisive factors such as preservation policies, management plans and presence of abrupt relief, among the most important ones, play an important role on the evolution of the ecosystems. Generally, a good characterization of their environmental conditions based on surface 3D models involves a large amount of time, resources, and high costs. We explore the potential of a combined approach based on bathymetric and topographic data from echo sounding and airborne laser technology for an accurate and reliable representation of the landscape of a natural monument in NW Spain. The proposed approach provides a cost-effective, rapid and robust method for the production of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) necessary for an appropriate interpretation of the genesis and morphology of the lake and the development of effective conservation and management strategies.