Natural Hazards and Earth System Science www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net 1561-8633 1684-9981 9 1 2009 10.5194/nhess-9-129-2009 http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/9/129/2009/ http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/9/129/2009/nhess-9-129-2009.html http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/9/129/2009/nhess-9-129-2009.pdf 129 133 2009-02-16 Variogram maps from LiDAR data as fingerprints of surface morphology on scree slopes S. Trevisani s.trevisani@irpi.cnr.it M. Cavalli L. Marchi CNR IRPI, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy Herein, an aerial LiDAR topographic dataset is analysed and interpolated by means of geostatistical techniques in order to examine the morphology of a scree slope area in the Eastern Italian Alps. The LiDAR-derived digital terrain model (DTM) is analysed using variogram maps as spatial continuity indexes. This allowed for evaluation of the reproduction of spatial variability of topography and for the characterization and comparison of different morphological features occurring in the study site. The results indicate that variogram maps efficiently synthesise the spatial variability of topography in a local search window, representing suitable "fingerprints" of surface morphology. Arnold, N. S., Rees, W. G., Devereux, B. J., and Amable, G. S.: Evaluating the potential of high-resolution airborne LiDAR in glaciology, Int. J. Remote Sens., 27, 1233–1251, 2006. Asselen, S. and Seijmonsbergen, A. C.: Expert-driven semi-automated geomorphological mapping for a mountainous area using laser DTM, Geomorphology, 78, 309–320, 2006. Carr, J. R.: Spectral and textural classification of single and multiple band digital images, Computer and Geosciences, 22, 849–865, 1996 Cavalli, M. and Marchi, L.: Characterisation of the surface morphology of an alpine alluvial fan using airborne LiDAR, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 8, 323–333, 2008. Cavalli, M., Tarolli, P., Marchi, L., and Dalla Fontana, G.: The effectiveness of airborne LiDAR data in the recognition of channel-bed morphology, Catena, 73, 249–260, 2008. Drägut, L. and Blaschke, T.: Automated classification of landform elements using object-based image analysis, Geomorphology, 81, 330–344, 2006. Ehsani, A. H. and Quiel, F.: Geomorphometric feature analysis using morphometric parametrization and artificial neural networks, Geomorphology, 99, 1–12, 2008. Favey, E., Geiger, A., Hilmar Gudmundsson, G., and Wehr, A.: Evaluating the potential of an airborne laser-scanning system for measuring volume changes of glaciers, Geografiska Annaler, 81A, 555–561, 1999. Frankel, K. L. and Dolan, J. F.: Characterizing arid-region alluvial fan surface roughness with airborne laser swath mapping digital topographic data, J. Geophys. Res. – Earth Surface, 112, F02025, doi:10.1029/2006JF000644, 2007. Glenn, N. F., Streutker, D. R., Chadwick, D. J., Thackray, G. D., and Dorsch, S. J.: Analysis of LiDAR-derived topographic information for characterizing and differentiating landslide morphology and activity, Geomorphology, 73, 131–148, 2006. Goovaerts, P.: Geostatistics for natural resources evaluation, Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 1997. Isaaks, E. H. and Srivastava, R. M.: An Introduction to Applied Geostatistics, Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 1989. Kodde, M. P., Pfeifer, N., Gorte, B. G. H., Geist, T., and Höfle, B.: Automatic glacier surface analysis from airborne laser scanning, International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 36, 221–226, 2007. Marchi, L., Dalla Fontana, G., Cavalli, M., and Tagliavini, F.: Rocky headwaters in the Dolomites: field observations and topographic analysis, Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 40, 685–694, 2008. McKean, J. and Roering, J.: Objective landslide detection and surface morphology mapping using high-resolution airborne laser altimetry, Geomorphology, 57, 331–351, 2004. Staley, D. M., Wasklewicz, T. A., and Blaszczynski, J. S.: Surficial patterns of debris flow deposition on alluvial fans in Death Valley, CA using airborne laser swath mapping, Geomorphology, 74, 152–163, 2006. Stroet, C. B. M. and Snepvangers J. J. C.: Mapping curvilinear structures with local anisotropy kriging, Mathematical Geology, 37, 635–649, 2005. Volker, H. X., Wasklewicz, T. A., and Ellis, M. A.: A topographic fingerprint to distinguish alluvial fan formative processes, Geomorphology, 88, 34–45, 2007. http://www.optech.ca/prodlatm.htm; last access: 3 December 2008. http://cran.r-project.org/; last access 3 December 2008. http://www.terrasolid.fi/; last access: 3 December 2008.