A New Method to Map Groundwater Table in Peatlands Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Groundwater level (GWL) and depth to water (DTW) are related metrics aimed at characterizing groundwater-table positions in peatlands, and two of the most common variables collected by researchers working in these ecosystems. While well-established field techniques exist for measuring GWL and DTW, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2017-10, Vol.9 (10), p.1057
Main Authors: Rahman, Mir Mustafizur, McDermid, Gregory J., Strack, Maria, Lovitt, Julie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Groundwater
Groundwater levels
groundwater table
Orthophotography
peatland
Peatlands
Photogrammetry
remote sensing
spatial interpolation
Surface water
Three dimensional models
UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Water depth
Water table
Workflow
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Summary:Groundwater level (GWL) and depth to water (DTW) are related metrics aimed at characterizing groundwater-table positions in peatlands, and two of the most common variables collected by researchers working in these ecosystems. While well-established field techniques exist for measuring GWL and DTW, they are generally difficult to scale. In this study, we present a novel workflow for mapping groundwater using orthophotography and photogrammetric point clouds acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles. Our approach takes advantage of the fact that pockets of surface water are normally abundant in peatlands, which we assume to be reflective of GWL in these porous, gently sloping environments. By first classifying surface water and then extracting a sample of water elevations, we can generate continuous models of GWL through interpolation. Estimates of DTW can then be obtained through additional efforts to characterize terrain. We demonstrate our methodology across a complex, 61-ha treed bog in northern Alberta, Canada. An independent accuracy assessment using 31 temporally coincident water-well measurements revealed accuracies (root mean square error) in the 20-cm range, though errors were concentrated in small upland pockets in the study area, and areas of dense tree covers. Model estimates in the open peatland areas were considerably better.
ISSN:2072-4292
2072-4292
DOI:10.3390/rs9101057