Remote Sensing and GIS Contribution to the Investigation of Karst Landscapes in NW-Morocco

Abstract

Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) methods were used for karst research in the coastal area of Northwest Morocco near the city of Safi in order to identify karst landscapes, to describe karst features and to detect geological structures relevant to karst development. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of different satellite data, such as Landsat, RapidEye and IKONOS imagery, as well as ASTER-and SRTM-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) for the analysis of karst features. Dolines were identified by visual interpretations based on high resolution satellite imagery and aerial photographs. Digital image processing of the satellite data, such as deriving vegetation and water index images, helped to identify regions with relatively higher surface water input, where karstification processes might be more intense than in surrounding areas. ArcGIS-integrated weighted overlay tools were used for this purpose as well by aggregating of morphometric, causal factors (lowest and flattest areas) influencing the susceptibility to higher surface water input. Lineament analysis based on the different satellite data contributed to the detection of near-surface fault and fracture zones with potential influence on dissolution processes in sub-terrain waterways.

Karstic depressions on Bolkar Mountain plateau, Central Taurus (Turkey):distribution characteristics and tectonic effect on orientation

“…The general orientation of the karstic depressions provides important evidence about the effective fracture and fault system (Faivre and Reiffsteck, 1999;Theilen-Willige et al, 2014); they are of great importance in the search for causes of tectonic and geomorphologic development in any karstic region (Mihljevic, 1994;Ekmekçi and Nazik, 2004;Closson and Karaki, 2009). In this context, the rose diagrams representing the distribution of the depression orientations in equally spaced parts of a study area provide evidence regarding the regional orientation of lineaments.…”

Groundwater vulnerability and pollution risk assessment with disparate models in karstic, porous, and fissured rock aquifers using remote sensing techniques and GIS in Anthemountas basin, Greece

“…The advantage of using many parameters can also become a disadvantage due to the difficulty in obtaining the necessary data, although DRASTIC does allow the use of less parameters (Napolitano and Fabbri 1996). The use of remote sensing techniques in combination with GIS can provide reliable geological and hydrogeological data in short time (Voudouris et al 2010;Oikonomidis et al 2014) such as rock fracture geometry in fissured rocks (Das 1990), epikarstic zones in karst areas (Theilen-Willige et al 2014), and soil and vegetation cover (Gupta 2003).…”

Using Google Earth to improve management of threatened limestone karst ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia

“…Remote sensing technologies have had moderate successes in detecting limestone hills in tropical regions where the limestone hills are subject to more intensive continuous weathering (de Carvalho et al, 2013; Theilen-Willige et al, 2014; Kobal et al, 2015). The efficiency of the detection from remote sensing approaches depends on the scale, sensor and the geomorphology of the limestone (Siart et al, 2009; Rajendran & Nasir, 2014).…”