Spatial analysis of sand dunes with a new global topographic dataset: new approaches and opportunities

Abstract

On June 29, 2009, version 1 of the ASTER GDEM (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Refl ection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model) was made available at no cost or restrictions to users worldwide via electronic download. The ASTER GDEM provides expanded spatial coverage and better resolution than other global digital elevation models (DEMs). In this paper we demonstrate how the ASTER GDEM provides new opportunities for investigating large aeolian sand dunes in three-dimensions. Two dune-specifi c spatial analysis methods are presented to illustrate potential applications of these data for discriminating dune generations and quantifying spatial variations of sediment supply. Moreover, we review how existing and emerging fi elds of dune pattern analysis and simulation modeling will be able to make signifi cant advances through application of these data, potentially leading to future progress in studies of dune morphodynamics, environmental controls, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

Remote sensing and spatial analysis of aeolian sand dunes: A review and outlook

“…Blumberg (2006) Methods for direct analysis of topography remain underdeveloped. Hugenholtz and Barchyn (2010) presented two SA methods to illustrate the potential of using digital elevation data to resolve dune generations and for quantifying spatial variations of sand supply. The first example used a method known as residual relief separation (similar to Hillier and Smith, 2008) to separate the topography of smaller superimposed dunes from underlying host bedforms.…”

“…Previous efforts have relied on RS imagery to resolve different dune generations (e.g., Lancaster et al, 2002); however, the proliferation of digital topographic data provides a more objective framework for distinguishing the different length scales that make up the dune complex. In this regard, the approach developed by Hugenholtz and Barchyn (2010) is a first step in characterizing dune pattern hierarchies more objectively. The second example presented by Hugenholtz and Barchyn (2010) was an attempt to map the equivalent sand thickness (EST) concept proposed by Wasson and Hyde (1983) (Fig.…”

“…Beginning with images from the early 1970s, remote sensing (RS) has revealed a rich diversity of dune field patterns on Earth, Mars, Venus, and Titan. The synoptic perspective provided by remote sensing imagery has, however, only recently stimulated a shift away from the singledune studies popularized in the 1980s and 1990s (Livingstone et al, 2007) towards dune field-scale studies that incorporate spatial analysis (SA) of boundary conditions, dune activity, dune patterns and hierarchies, and dune-dune relations (e.g., Tsoar and Blumberg, 2002;Hugenholtz and Wolfe, 2005a;Kocurek and Ewing, 2005;Mitasova et al, 2005;Ewing et al, 2006;Bishop, 2007;Wilkins and Ford, 2007;Ewing and Kocurek, 2010a,b;Hugenholtz and Barchyn, 2010;Kocurek et al, 2010).…”

“…Advances in computer hardware and software throughout the 1990s facilitated a shift in study to the reflectance characteristics of dune surfaces (Paisley et al, 1991;Lancaster et al, 1992;Tsoar and Karnieli, 1996;Walden and White, 1997;White et al, 1997;Blumberg, 1998;Pease et al, 1999) and innovative approaches for quantifying historical changes in dune activity (Anthonsen et al, 1996;Brown and Arbogast, 1999). In the last decade, additional progress has been made in the quantitative analysis of dune morphodynamics Vermeesch and Drake, 2008;Bourke et al, 2009;Necsoiu et al, 2009) and dune field pattern analysis (Kocurek and Ewing, 2005;Ewing et al, 2006;Bishop, 2007;Wilkins and Ford, 2007;Mason et al, 2008;Bishop, 2010;Ewing and Kocurek, 2010a,b;Hugenholtz and Barchyn, 2010;Kocurek et al, 2010).…”

Influence of cell size on volume calculation using digital terrain models: A case of coastal dune fields

“…Although it has been found useful in the study of large aeolian landforms (Bubenzer and Bolten, 2008;Hayakawa et al, 2008;Hugenholtz and Barchyn, 2010), Reuter et al (2009) note that the GDEM product should not be used in terrain analysis at a 30 m resolution, and Miliaresis and Paraschou (2011) stress the importance of the number of scenes (stack number) used to derive the DEMs, and how vertical accuracy could be elevation-and slope-dependent. In our case, ASTER GDEM data for the Garopaba dune field proved to be consistently above the reference topography, resulting in a deviation of more than 35% from the reference data, which could be related to unresolved issues in the GDEM processing chain.…”