TY - CHAP
T1 - Measuring Complex Beach-Dune Morphology and Nearshore Processes Using UAVs
AU - Rodgers, Mel
AU - Vallee, Mathieu
AU - Wang, Ping
AU - Cheng, Jun
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - We examined various applications of widely available and low-cost Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in measuring beach morphodynamics and hydrodynamics. With adequate ground control points, UAVs demonstrate promising potential for capturing highly 3-dimensional beach/dune morphology with cm-scale accuracy and mm-scale resolution. Model accuracy and resolution are also controlled by flight altitude, with lower altitude yielding higher accuracy and resolution but at the expense of less spatial coverage. The time-series of UAV images and DEMs provide a valuable tool to document morphology changes of irregularly shaped coastal features, vegetation coverage and spatial distribution of sediment sizes. The efficiency of UAV data collection allows regional scale pre- and post-storm surveys to quantify storm-induced beach/dune changes. The overhead videos from the reasonably stable platform allow measurements of dynamic surf-zone parameters including incident breaking and non-breaking wave angles, limits of uprush and downrush, swash velocities and longshore current velocity. UAVs prove to be a promising addition to the traditional methods for measuring beach morphodynamics and hydrodynamics.
AB - We examined various applications of widely available and low-cost Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in measuring beach morphodynamics and hydrodynamics. With adequate ground control points, UAVs demonstrate promising potential for capturing highly 3-dimensional beach/dune morphology with cm-scale accuracy and mm-scale resolution. Model accuracy and resolution are also controlled by flight altitude, with lower altitude yielding higher accuracy and resolution but at the expense of less spatial coverage. The time-series of UAV images and DEMs provide a valuable tool to document morphology changes of irregularly shaped coastal features, vegetation coverage and spatial distribution of sediment sizes. The efficiency of UAV data collection allows regional scale pre- and post-storm surveys to quantify storm-induced beach/dune changes. The overhead videos from the reasonably stable platform allow measurements of dynamic surf-zone parameters including incident breaking and non-breaking wave angles, limits of uprush and downrush, swash velocities and longshore current velocity. UAVs prove to be a promising addition to the traditional methods for measuring beach morphodynamics and hydrodynamics.
UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/2136
UR - https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811204487_0222
U2 - 10.1142/9789811204487_0222
DO - 10.1142/9789811204487_0222
M3 - Chapter
BT - Coastal Sediments 2019: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference
ER -