scholarly journals Estimating Mangrove Forest Volume Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning and UAV-Derived Structure-from-Motion

Drones ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus D. Warfield ◽  
Javier X. Leon

Mangroves provide a variety of ecosystem services, which can be related to their structuralcomplexity and ability to store carbon in the above ground biomass (AGB). Quantifying AGB inmangroves has traditionally been conducted using destructive, time-consuming, and costlymethods, however, Structure-from-Motion Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) combined withunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery may provide an alternative. Here, we compared the abilityof SfM-MVS with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to capture forest structure and volume in threemangrove sites of differing stand age and species composition. We describe forest structure in termsof point density, while forest volume is estimated as a proxy for AGB using the surface differencingmethod. In general, SfM-MVS poorly captured mangrove forest structure, but was efficient incapturing the canopy height for volume estimations. The differences in volume estimations betweenTLS and SfM-MVS were higher in the juvenile age site (42.95%) than the mixed (28.23%) or mature(12.72%) age sites, with a higher stem density affecting point capture in both methods. These resultscan be used to inform non-destructive, cost-effective, and timely assessments of forest structure orAGB in mangroves in the future.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Ehbrecht ◽  
Dominik Seidel ◽  
Peter Annighöfer ◽  
Holger Kreft ◽  
Michael Köhler ◽  
...  

AbstractThe complexity of forest structures plays a crucial role in regulating forest ecosystem functions and strongly influences biodiversity. Yet, knowledge of the global patterns and determinants of forest structural complexity remains scarce. Using a stand structural complexity index based on terrestrial laser scanning, we quantify the structural complexity of boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical primary forests. We find that the global variation of forest structural complexity is largely explained by annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality (R² = 0.89). Using the structural complexity of primary forests as benchmark, we model the potential structural complexity across biomes and present a global map of the potential structural complexity of the earth´s forest ecoregions. Our analyses reveal distinct latitudinal patterns of forest structure and show that hotspots of high structural complexity coincide with hotspots of plant diversity. Considering the mechanistic underpinnings of forest structural complexity, our results suggest spatially contrasting changes of forest structure with climate change within and across biomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan A. Kromer ◽  
Antonio Abellán ◽  
D. Jean Hutchinson ◽  
Matt Lato ◽  
Marie-Aurelie Chanut ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present an automated terrestrial laser scanning (ATLS) system with automatic near-real-time change detection processing. The ATLS system was tested on the Séchilienne landslide in France for a 6-week period with data collected at 30 min intervals. The purpose of developing the system was to fill the gap of high-temporal-resolution TLS monitoring studies of earth surface processes and to offer a cost-effective, light, portable alternative to ground-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (GB-InSAR) deformation monitoring. During the study, we detected the flux of talus, displacement of the landslide and pre-failure deformation of discrete rockfall events. Additionally, we found the ATLS system to be an effective tool in monitoring landslide and rockfall processes despite missing points due to poor atmospheric conditions or rainfall. Furthermore, such a system has the potential to help us better understand a wide variety of slope processes at high levels of temporal detail.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1854
Author(s):  
Dominik Seidel ◽  
Peter Annighöfer ◽  
Martin Ehbrecht ◽  
Paul Magdon ◽  
Stephan Wöllauer ◽  
...  

The three-dimensional forest structure is an important driver of several ecosystem functions and services. Recent advancements in laser scanning technologies have set the path to measuring structural complexity directly from 3D point clouds. Here, we show that the box-dimension (Db) from fractal analysis, a measure of structural complexity, can be obtained from airborne laser scanning data. Based on 66 plots across different forest types in Germany, each 1 ha in size, we tested the performance of the Db by evaluating it against conventional ground-based measures of forest structure and commonly used stand characteristics. We found that the Db was related (0.34 < R < 0.51) to stand age, management intensity, microclimatic stability, and several measures characterizing the overall stand structural complexity. For the basal area, we could not find a significant relationship, indicating that structural complexity is not tied to the basal area of a forest. We also showed that Db derived from airborne data holds the potential to distinguish forest types, management types, and the developmental phases of forests. We conclude that the box-dimension is a promising measure to describe the structural complexity of forests in an ecologically meaningful way.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinlian Liang ◽  
Juha Hyyppä ◽  
Harri Kaartinen ◽  
Markus Holopainen ◽  
Timo Melkas

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J Neverman ◽  
Ian C Fuller ◽  
Jon N Procter ◽  
Russell G Death

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and structure-from-motion photogrammetry (SfMp) offer rapid, non-invasive surveying of in situ gravels. Numerous studies have used the point clouds derived from TLS or SfMp to quantify surface layer characteristics, but direct comparison of the methods for grain-scale analysis has received relatively little attention to date. Comparing equivalent products of different data capture methods is critical as differences in errors and sampling biases between the two methods may produce different outputs, effecting further analysis. The sampling biases and errors related to SfMp and TLS lead to differences in the point clouds produced by each method. The metrics derived from the point clouds are therefore likely to differ, potentially leading to different inputs for entrainment threshold models, different trends in surface layer development being identified and different trajectories for physical processes and habitat quality being predicted. This paper provides a direct comparison between TLS and SfMp surveys of an exposed gravel bar for three different survey periods following inundation and reworking of the bar surface during high flow events. The point clouds derived from the two methods are used to describe changes in the character of the surface layer between bar inundation events, and comparisons are made with descriptions derived from conventional pebble counts. The results found differences in the metrics derived using each method do exist, but the grid resolution used to detrend the surfaces and identify spatial variations in surface layer characteristics had a greater impact than survey method. Further research is required to understand the significance of these variations for quantifying surface texture and structure and for predicting entrainment thresholds and transport rates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Jo ◽  
Seonghyuk Hong

Three-dimensional digital technology is important in the maintenance and monitoring of cultural heritage sites. This study focuses on using a combination of terrestrial laser scanning and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry to establish a three-dimensional model and the associated digital documentation of the Magoksa Temple, Republic of Korea. Herein, terrestrial laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry was used to acquire the perpendicular geometry of the buildings and sites, where UAV photogrammetry yielded higher planar data acquisition rate in upper zones, such as the roof of a building, than terrestrial laser scanning. On comparing the two technologies’ accuracy based on their ground control points, laser scanning was observed to provide higher positional accuracy than photogrammetry. The overall discrepancy between the two technologies was found to be sufficient for the generation of convergent data. Thus, the terrestrial laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry data were aligned and merged post conversion into compatible extensions. A three-dimensional (3D) model, with planar and perpendicular geometries, based on the hybrid data-point cloud was developed. This study demonstrates the potential for using the integration of terrestrial laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry in 3D digital documentation and spatial analysis of cultural heritage sites.


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