Quantification of channel bed morphology in gravel-bed rivers using airborne multispectral imagery and aerial photography

Citation

Winterbottom SJ & Gilvear D (1997) Quantification of channel bed morphology in gravel-bed rivers using airborne multispectral imagery and aerial photography. Regulated Rivers: Research and Management, 13 (6), pp. 489-499. https://doi.org/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-1646%28199711/12%2913%3A6%3C489%3A%3AAID-RRR471%3E3.0.CO%3B2-X

Abstract
The potential for mapping in-channel morphology within shallow gravel-bed rivers using airborne multispectral imagery and aerial photography is illustrated using a case study from the River Tummel, Scotland. The technique described relies on a good correlation between observed light reflectance levels from a water body and water depth. Measured water depths are regressed against reflectance levels derived from airborne multispectral imagery and black-and-white aerial photographs, to obtain equations that can be used for mapping channel bathymetry. The technique has a great deal of potential for wide-ranging applications, including detailed morphological surveys, assessing in-channel changes and mapping riverine habitats.

Keywords
bathymetric mapping; channel bed morphology; channel cross-section; remote sensing

Journal
Regulated Rivers: Research and Management: Volume 13, Issue 6