Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models
Model-based soil erosion studies have increased in number, given the availability of geodata and the recent technological advances. However, their accuracy remains rather questionable since the scarcity of field records hinders the validation of simulated values. In this context, this study aims to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/5/1339 |
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| author | Simoni Alexiou Nikolaos Efthimiou Mina Karamesouti Ioannis Papanikolaou Emmanouil Psomiadis Nikos Charizopoulos |
| author_facet | Simoni Alexiou Nikolaos Efthimiou Mina Karamesouti Ioannis Papanikolaou Emmanouil Psomiadis Nikos Charizopoulos |
| author_sort | Simoni Alexiou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Model-based soil erosion studies have increased in number, given the availability of geodata and the recent technological advances. However, their accuracy remains rather questionable since the scarcity of field records hinders the validation of simulated values. In this context, this study aims to present a method for measuring sediment deposition at a typical Mediterranean catchment (870 ha) in Greece through high spatial resolution field measurements acquired by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) survey. Three-dimensional modeling is considered to be an emerging technique for surface change detection. The UAV-derived point cloud comparison, applying the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) technique at the Platana sediment retention dam test site, quantified annual topsoil change in cm-scale accuracy (0.02–0.03 m), delivering mean sediment yield of 1620 m<sup>3</sup> ± 180 m<sup>3</sup> or 6.05 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3500 m<sup>3</sup> ± 194 m<sup>3</sup> or 13 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> for the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 estimation. Moreover, the widely applied PESERA and RUSLE models estimated the 2020–2021 mean sediment yield at 1.12 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3.51 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, while an increase was evident during the 2021–2022 simulation (2.49 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3.56 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup>, respectively). Both applications appear to underestimate the net soil loss rate, with RUSLE being closer to the measured results. The difference is mostly attributed to the model’s limitation to simulate gully erosion or to a C-factor misinterpretation. To the authors’ better knowledge, this study is among the few UAV applications employed to acquire high-accuracy soil loss measurements. The results proved extremely useful in our attempt to measure sediment yield at the cm scale through UAV-SfM and decipher the regional soil erosion and sediment transport pattern, also offering a direct assessment of the retention dams’ life expectancy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:12:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4dd35bd5f103443e992fc49c14eab6bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:12:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-4dd35bd5f103443e992fc49c14eab6bb2023-11-17T08:31:43ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922023-02-01155133910.3390/rs15051339Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion ModelsSimoni Alexiou0Nikolaos Efthimiou1Mina Karamesouti2Ioannis Papanikolaou3Emmanouil Psomiadis4Nikos Charizopoulos5Laboratory of Mineralogy and Geology, Department of Natural Resources & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceFaculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 16500 Prague, Czech RepublicGeoinformation Science Lab, Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, GermanyLaboratory of Mineralogy and Geology, Department of Natural Resources & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Mineralogy and Geology, Department of Natural Resources & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Mineralogy and Geology, Department of Natural Resources & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceModel-based soil erosion studies have increased in number, given the availability of geodata and the recent technological advances. However, their accuracy remains rather questionable since the scarcity of field records hinders the validation of simulated values. In this context, this study aims to present a method for measuring sediment deposition at a typical Mediterranean catchment (870 ha) in Greece through high spatial resolution field measurements acquired by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) survey. Three-dimensional modeling is considered to be an emerging technique for surface change detection. The UAV-derived point cloud comparison, applying the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) technique at the Platana sediment retention dam test site, quantified annual topsoil change in cm-scale accuracy (0.02–0.03 m), delivering mean sediment yield of 1620 m<sup>3</sup> ± 180 m<sup>3</sup> or 6.05 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3500 m<sup>3</sup> ± 194 m<sup>3</sup> or 13 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> for the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 estimation. Moreover, the widely applied PESERA and RUSLE models estimated the 2020–2021 mean sediment yield at 1.12 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3.51 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, while an increase was evident during the 2021–2022 simulation (2.49 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup> and 3.56 t ha<sup>−1</sup>yr<sup>−1</sup>, respectively). Both applications appear to underestimate the net soil loss rate, with RUSLE being closer to the measured results. The difference is mostly attributed to the model’s limitation to simulate gully erosion or to a C-factor misinterpretation. To the authors’ better knowledge, this study is among the few UAV applications employed to acquire high-accuracy soil loss measurements. The results proved extremely useful in our attempt to measure sediment yield at the cm scale through UAV-SfM and decipher the regional soil erosion and sediment transport pattern, also offering a direct assessment of the retention dams’ life expectancy.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/5/1339soil erosionRUSLEPESERAUAVpoint cloudStructure-from-Motion |
| spellingShingle | Simoni Alexiou Nikolaos Efthimiou Mina Karamesouti Ioannis Papanikolaou Emmanouil Psomiadis Nikos Charizopoulos Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models Remote Sensing soil erosion RUSLE PESERA UAV point cloud Structure-from-Motion |
| title | Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models |
| title_full | Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models |
| title_fullStr | Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models |
| title_full_unstemmed | Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models |
| title_short | Measuring Annual Sedimentation through High Accuracy UAV-Photogrammetry Data and Comparison with RUSLE and PESERA Erosion Models |
| title_sort | measuring annual sedimentation through high accuracy uav photogrammetry data and comparison with rusle and pesera erosion models |
| topic | soil erosion RUSLE PESERA UAV point cloud Structure-from-Motion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/5/1339 |
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