LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia)
LiDAR-based digital terrain models (DTMs) represent an advance in the investigation of small-scale geomorphological features, including dolines of karst terrains. Important issues in doline morphometry are (i) which statistical distributions best model the size distribution of doline morphometric pa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/5/737 |
| _version_ | 1797263985168351232 |
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| author | Tamás Telbisz László Mari Balázs Székely |
| author_facet | Tamás Telbisz László Mari Balázs Székely |
| author_sort | Tamás Telbisz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | LiDAR-based digital terrain models (DTMs) represent an advance in the investigation of small-scale geomorphological features, including dolines of karst terrains. Important issues in doline morphometry are (i) which statistical distributions best model the size distribution of doline morphometric parameters and (ii) how to characterize the volume of dolines based on high-resolution DTMs. For backward compatibility, how previous datasets obtained predominantly from topographic maps relate to doline data derived from LiDAR is also examined. Our study area includes the karst plateaus of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst national parks, whose caves are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. To characterize the study area, the relationships between doline parameters and topography were studied, as well as their geological characteristics. Our analysis revealed that the LiDAR-based doline density is 25% higher than the value calculated from topographic maps. Furthermore, LiDAR-based doline delineations are slightly larger and less rounded than in the case of topographic maps. The plateaus of the study area are characterized by low (5–10 km<sup>−2</sup>), moderate (10–30 km<sup>−2</sup>), and medium (30–35 km<sup>−2</sup>) doline densities. In terms of topography, the slope trend is decisive since the doline density is negligible in areas where the general slope is steeper than 12°. As for the lithology, 75% of the dolines can be linked to Wetterstein Limestone. The statistical distribution of the doline area can be well modeled by the lognormal distribution. To describe the DTM-based volume of dolines, a new parameter (<i>k</i>) is introduced to characterize their 3D shape: it is equal to the product of the area and the depth divided by the volume. This parameter indicates whether the idealized shape of the doline is closer to a cylinder, a bowl (calotte), a cone, or a funnel shape. The results show that most sinkholes in the study area have a transitional shape between a bowl (calotte) and a cone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:21:42Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:21:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa2dae7115ec4aa5b7ff8b48584374c52024-03-12T16:53:51ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-02-0116573710.3390/rs16050737LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia)Tamás Telbisz0László Mari1Balázs Székely2Department of Physical Geography, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Physical Geography, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Geophysics and Space Science, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, HungaryLiDAR-based digital terrain models (DTMs) represent an advance in the investigation of small-scale geomorphological features, including dolines of karst terrains. Important issues in doline morphometry are (i) which statistical distributions best model the size distribution of doline morphometric parameters and (ii) how to characterize the volume of dolines based on high-resolution DTMs. For backward compatibility, how previous datasets obtained predominantly from topographic maps relate to doline data derived from LiDAR is also examined. Our study area includes the karst plateaus of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst national parks, whose caves are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. To characterize the study area, the relationships between doline parameters and topography were studied, as well as their geological characteristics. Our analysis revealed that the LiDAR-based doline density is 25% higher than the value calculated from topographic maps. Furthermore, LiDAR-based doline delineations are slightly larger and less rounded than in the case of topographic maps. The plateaus of the study area are characterized by low (5–10 km<sup>−2</sup>), moderate (10–30 km<sup>−2</sup>), and medium (30–35 km<sup>−2</sup>) doline densities. In terms of topography, the slope trend is decisive since the doline density is negligible in areas where the general slope is steeper than 12°. As for the lithology, 75% of the dolines can be linked to Wetterstein Limestone. The statistical distribution of the doline area can be well modeled by the lognormal distribution. To describe the DTM-based volume of dolines, a new parameter (<i>k</i>) is introduced to characterize their 3D shape: it is equal to the product of the area and the depth divided by the volume. This parameter indicates whether the idealized shape of the doline is closer to a cylinder, a bowl (calotte), a cone, or a funnel shape. The results show that most sinkholes in the study area have a transitional shape between a bowl (calotte) and a cone.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/5/737dolinesinkholekarstLiDARlognormalvolume |
| spellingShingle | Tamás Telbisz László Mari Balázs Székely LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) Remote Sensing doline sinkhole karst LiDAR lognormal volume |
| title | LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) |
| title_full | LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) |
| title_fullStr | LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) |
| title_full_unstemmed | LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) |
| title_short | LiDAR-Based Morphometry of Dolines in Aggtelek Karst (Hungary) and Slovak Karst (Slovakia) |
| title_sort | lidar based morphometry of dolines in aggtelek karst hungary and slovak karst slovakia |
| topic | doline sinkhole karst LiDAR lognormal volume |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/5/737 |
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