Thaw slump activity measured using stationary cameras in time-lapse and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry

Thaw slumps are one of the most dynamic features in permafrost terrain. Improved temporal and spatial resolution monitoring of slump activity is required to better characterize their dynamics over the thaw season. We assess how a ground-based stationary camera array in a time-lapse configuration can...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Armstrong, Lindsay, Lacelle, Denis, Fraser, Robert H., Kokelj, Steve, Knudby, Anders
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1807/91076
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/AS-2018-0016
Description
Summary:Thaw slumps are one of the most dynamic features in permafrost terrain. Improved temporal and spatial resolution monitoring of slump activity is required to better characterize their dynamics over the thaw season. We assess how a ground-based stationary camera array in a time-lapse configuration can be integrated with UAV-based surveys and Structure from Motion processing to monitor the activity of thaw slumps at high temporal and spatial resolutions. We successfully constructed point-clouds and digital surface models of the headwall area of a thaw slump at 6-13 day intervals over the summer, significantly improving the decadal to annual temporal resolution of previous studies. The successfully modeled headwall portion of the slump revealed that headwall retreat rates were significantly correlated with mean daily air temperature, thawing degree-days and average net short-wave radiation and suggest a two-phased slump activity. The main challenges were related to strong JPEG image compression, drifting camera clocks and highly dynamic nature of the feature. Combined with annual UAV-based surveys, the proposed methodology can address temporal gaps in our understanding of factors driving thaw slump activity. Such insight could help predict how slumps could modify their behavior under changing climate. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.