Multiple close-range geomatic techniques for the kinematic study of the La Paúl Rock Glacier, Southern Pyrenees

• Published in: Remote Sensing
• Main Authors: Martínez Fernández, Adrián, Serrano Cañadas, Enrique, Sanjosé Blasco, José Juan de, Gómez Lende, Manuel, Sánchez Fernández, Manuel, Pisabarro Pérez, Alfonso, Atkinson, Alan David James
• Other Authors: Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Universidad de Extremadura. Departamento de Expresión Gráfica, Universidad de Valladolid, Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad de León
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2024
• Subjects: Glaciar de roca; Permafrost; Vigilancia; Geomática; Sistemas mundiales de navegación por satélite; Vehículos aéreos no tripulados; Escáneres láser terrestres; Pirineos; Rock glacier; Monitoring; Geomatics; Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS); Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS); Pyrenees; 2502 Climatología; 2508 Hidrología; 3307.07 Dispositivos láser; Roca; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10662/25111; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16010134

Rock glaciers are one of the most representative elements of mountain permafrost. Their study can contribute to modelling climate change and its effect on natural and anthropogenic environments. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the evolution and quantify the changes in these periglacial landforms at a global level. This study aims to present the monitoring work carried out on the Pyrenean rock glacier of La Paúl (42°39ʹ40ʺN, 0°26ʹ34ʺE) from 2013 to 2020, employing in situ geomatics techniques to determine the landform surface kinematics accurately. For this purpose, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), terrestrial laser scanners (TLS), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) photogrammetry techniques were used simultaneously to evaluate their compatibility in quantifying displacements. Based on 2D and 3D analyses, the results demonstrate the high surface activity of the rock glacier, with mean variations reaching 36 cm/year (GNSS) and a distribution of deformations that, although intensified on its western side, are present on the entire surface of La Paúl. This study uses state-of-the-art geomatics techniques to present dependable and updated quantitative data on a periglacial landform’s recent development in under-researched areas, such as the Pyrenean temperate high mountain. This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness projects CGL2015-68144-R and PID2020-113247RB-C21. peerReviewed