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Using Repeated LIDAR to Characterize Topographic Changes in Riparian Areas and Stream Channel Morphology in Areas Undergoing Urban Development: An Accuracy Assessment Guide for Local Watershed Managers
Citation:
JARNAGIN, S. Using Repeated LIDAR to Characterize Topographic Changes in Riparian Areas and Stream Channel Morphology in Areas Undergoing Urban Development: An Accuracy Assessment Guide for Local Watershed Managers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/120, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
Changes in topography, impervious surfaces, and land use and land cover associated with urban development have been shown to alter streamflow and stream geomorphology and topography (Schueler, 1994; USEPA, 1994; Arnold and Gibbons, 1996; Caraco et al., 1998; Jennings and Jarnagin, 2002; Jarnagin, 2004; Jarnagin, 2007). Measuring these changes in streams is a difficult and labor-intensive task (Gardina, 2008). If LiDAR could reliably measure these changes over a wide area over time, this would be a great benefit to watershed manages and interested stakeholders and help to evaluate the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPS) in mitigating the adverse effects of urban development.
Description:
Urban development and the corresponding increases in impervious surfaces associated with that development have long been known to have adverse impacts upon urban riparian systems, water quality and quantity, groundwater recharge, streamflow, and aquatic ecosystem integrity. The ability of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to mitigate the impact of urban development is an emerging area of research and a central component of the Clean Water science mission of the US EPA. The ability to monitor and characterize urban development and corresponding stream channel changes due to urban development with remote sensing, high spatial and temporal resolution mapping, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is an area of research focus in the geospatial sciences and the US EPA Landscape Ecology Branch.