Jakub Langhammer

Multitemporal Monitoring of the Morphodynamics of a Mid-Mountain Stream Using UAS Photogrammetry

This paper explores the potential of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) for the analysis of variations in the fluvial dynamics of a mid-mountain stream. The UAS photogrammetry was employed to acquire a multitemporal set of high-precision digital terrain models (DTMs) and orthoimages, thereby enabling the reconstruction of variations in riverbed and quantitative analysis of volumetric changes. A hexacopter UAS platform was used for the repeated acquisition of data for the photogrammetric analysis of a stretch of mid-mountain streams with elevated fluvial dynamics. Photogrammetric reconstruction enabled the development of accurate DTMs and orthoimages with spatial resolutions of 2 cm per pixel. These were identified and used to quantitatively assess the segments of channels with active lateral erosion. The UAS-derived data facilitated an analysis of the shifts of stream banks and the calculation of the areal extent of changes and volumetric extent of bank erosion. Comparison of UAS-derived point clouds with aerial LiDAR scanning data demonstrated the high spatial accuracy and precision of the UAS data. The accuracy and high operability of the imaging provide spatial data of a new qualitative level and the potential for the detailed analysis of experimental areas where spatial information is of limited availability.

The variability of surface water quality indicators in relation to watercourse typology, Czech Republic

This paper examines the relationships between watercourse typology and selected indicators of long-term surface water quality for rivers in the Czech Republic. The parameters used to define watercourse typology are in accord with the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC outlined by the European Commission. The relationships were tested using descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis, namely cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. It was found that only some of the typological parameters have a close association with indicators of surface water quality. Specifically, the parameters of altitude and geology show clear relationships with pH, calcium content, and the saprobity index of macroinvertebrates. Conversely, parameters that are strongly influenced by anthropogenic pollution show weak relationships with indicators of surface water quality. These depend instead on the presence of pollution sources rather than on natural environmental conditions.

UAV-Based Optical Granulometry as Tool for Detecting Changes in Structure of Flood Depositions

This paper presents a new non-invasive technique of granulometric analysis based on the fusion of two imaging techniques, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based photogrammetry and optical digital granulometry. This newly proposed technique produces seamless coverage of a study site in order to analyze the granulometric properties of alluvium and observe its spatiotemporal changes. This proposed technique is tested by observing changes along the point bar of a mid-latitude mountain stream. UAV photogrammetry acquired at a low-level flight altitude (at a height of 8 m) is used to acquire ultra-high resolution orthoimages to build high-precision digital terrain models (DTMs). These orthoimages are covered by a regular virtual grid, and the granulometric properties of the grid fields are analyzed using the digital optical granulometric tool BaseGrain. This tested framework demonstrates the applicability of the proposed method for granulometric analysis, which yields accuracy comparable to that of traditional field optical granulometry. The seamless nature of this method further enables researchers to study the spatial distribution of granulometric properties across multiple study sites, as well as to analyze multitemporal changes using repeated imaging.

Changes in runoff in two neighbouring catchments in the Bohemian Forest related to climate and land cover changes

Abstract There is public concern that large-scale disturbances to forest cover caused by insects and storm winds in the Bohemian Forest could intensify high water flows and enhance the expected flooding risks predicted in current regional climate change scenarios. We analysed stream discharge in Upper Vydra and Große Ohe, neighbouring catchments in the Bohemian Forest, the largest contiguous forested area in Central Europe. Upper Vydra, in the Šumava National Park, and Große Ohe (including the Upper Große Ohe headwater catchment in the Bavarian Forest National Park) are similar in size, but differ in land use cover and the extent of disturbed Norway spruce stands. Publicly available runoff and meteorological data (1978–2011) were examined using non-parametric trend and breakpoint analysis. Together with mapped vegetation cover changes, the results were used to address the following questions: 1) are there significant changes in the hydrological cycle and, if so, do these changes relate to 2) the extent and expansion of disturbance in forests stands and/or 3) altered precipitation dynamics and thermal conditions? We found no marked overall change in annual runoff or in annual or seasonal precipitation, but a significant increase in high flows in March. This overall trend related to the marked warming in late winter and early spring (+~4 K in April, p < 0.01), irrespective of altitude and slope position. It significantly shifted the end of the snow cover period by more than three weeks to the beginning/middle of April depending on altitude, and intensified snow melt. In the Upper Große Ohe catchment, a significant decrease in catchment balance, the difference between the long term precipitation and runoff (–72 mm, 11%) was found when the loss of tree cover reached 30% of catchment area. Diminished evapotranspiration losses from severely disturbed stands increased groundwater recharge during summer and caused a significant rise in low flows in autumn. However, observed increases in late winter high flows were due to warming only. They could be further intensified by the increasing winter precipitation predicted under present climate change scenarios, and would therefore increase the risk of flooding at lower elevations.

Numerical simulations of heavily polluted fine-grained sediment remobilization using 1D, 1D+, and 2D channel schematization

This article used various hydrodynamic and sediment transport models to analyze the potential and the limits of different channel schematizations. The main aim was to select and evaluate the most suitable simulation method for fine-grained sediment remobilization assessment. Three types of channel schematization were selected to study the flow potential for remobilizing fine-grained sediment in artificially modified channels. Schematization with a 1D cross-sectional horizontal plan, a 1D+ approach, splitting the riverbed into different functional zones, and full 2D mesh, adopted in MIKE by the DHI modeling suite, was applied to the study. For the case study, a 55-km stretch of the Bílina River, in the Czech Republic, Central Europe, which has been heavily polluted by the chemical and coal mining industry since the mid-twentieth century, was selected. Long-term exposure to direct emissions of toxic pollutants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) resulted in deposits of pollutants in fine-grained sediments in the riverbed. Simulations, based on three hydrodynamic model schematizations, proved that for events not exceeding the extent of the riverbed profile, the 1D schematization can provide comparable results to a 2D model. The 1D+ schematization can improve accuracy while keeping the benefits of high-speed simulation and low requirements of input DEM data, but the method’s suitability is limited by the channel properties.

Changes in water quality in agricultural catchments after deployment of wastewater treatment plant

Insufficient wastewater remediation in small communities and nonpoint source pollution are the key factors in determining the water quality of small streams in an agricultural landscape. Despite the current extensive construction of municipal wastewater treatment facilities in small communities, the level of organic substances and nutrients in the recipient catchments has not decreased in many areas. This paper analyzes the changes in the water quality of the small streams after the deployment of wastewater treatment plants that were designed to address sources of pollution from small municipalities. The analysis is based on the results from a water quality monitoring network in the small watersheds in the Czech Republic. Five rural catchments with one dominant municipal pollution source, where a wastewater treatment plant was deployed during the monitoring period, were selected according to a predefined set of criteria, from a series of 317 profiles. Basic water quality indicators were selected for the assessment: O2, BOD-5, COD, TOC, conductivity, NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N, PT, and PO4-P. Results of the analysis showed that the simple deployment of the water treatment facilities at these streams often did not lead to a reduction of contamination in the streams. The expected post-deployment changes, namely, a significant and permanent reduction of stream contamination, occurred only in one catchment, whereas in the remainder of the catchments, only marginal changes or even increased concentrations of the contaminants were detected. As the critical factors that determined the efficiency of wastewater treatment were studied, the need for the consideration of the local conditions during the design of the facility, particularly regarding the size of the catchments, initial level of contamination, proper system of operation, and process optimization of the treatment facility, emerged as the important factor.

Applicability of hydromorphological monitoring data to locate flood risk reduction measures: Blanice River basin, Czech Republic

This paper presents a new methodological approach, using hydromorphological monitoring data from river networks, to identify stream elements that may negatively influence the course of floods, as well as elements suitable for modifications that will reinforce the natural retention potential of the floodplain. The approach uses data derived from hydromorphological monitoring that conforms to the EN 14614 standard “Water quality — Guidance standard for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers.” Four major aspects of stream modifications that can potentially affect the course and consequences of floods, and that can be derived from hydromorphological monitoring, were identified. These are: (1) modifications that increase the speed of runoff, (2) modifications that restrict the retention potential of the floodplain, (3) potential obstacles to the flood course, and (4) improper alterations of stream route modifications. A GIS is used to identify and locate these critical aspects of stream and floodplain modification. This method was applied in the Blanice River basin, an area in central Europe hit by a severe flood in August 2002. The critical modifications identified were compared with geomorphological mapping to display the different effects of individual types of modifications.

Detection and Mapping of the Geomorphic Effects of Flooding Using UAV Photogrammetry

In this paper, we present a novel technique for the objective detection of the geomorphological effects of flooding in riverbeds and floodplains using imagery acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) equipped with an panchromatic camera. The proposed method is based on the fusion of the two key data products of UAV photogrammetry, the digital elevation model (DEM), and the orthoimage, as well as derived qualitative information, which together serve as the basis for object-based segmentation and the supervised classification of fluvial forms. The orthoimage is used to calculate textural features, enabling detection of the structural properties of the image area and supporting the differentiation of features with similar spectral responses but different surface structures. The DEM is used to derive a flood depth model and the terrain ruggedness index, supporting the detection of bank erosion. All the newly derived information layers are merged with the orthoimage to form a multi-band data set, which is used for object-based segmentation and the supervised classification of key fluvial forms resulting from flooding, i.e., fresh and old gravel accumulations, sand accumulations, and bank erosion. The method was tested on the effects of a snowmelt flood that occurred in December 2015 in a montane stream in the Sumava Mountains, Czech Republic, Central Europe. A multi-rotor UAV was used to collect images of a 1-km-long and 200-m-wide stretch of meandering stream with fresh traces of fluvial activity. The performed segmentation and classification proved that the fusion of 2D and 3D data with the derived qualitative layers significantly enhanced the reliability of the fluvial form detection process. The assessment accuracy for all of the detected classes exceeded 90%. The proposed technique proved its potential for application in rapid mapping and detection of the geomorphological effects of flooding.

Simulations of coupled non-isothermal soil moisture transport and evaporation fluxes in a forest area

Abstract This study focuses on the quantification of non-isothermal soil moisture transport and evaporation fluxes in vegetated area. A one-dimensional numerical model is developed by integrating a multi-phase flow model with a twolayer energy-balance model. The non-isothermal multi-phase flow model solves four governing equations for coupled air, vapour, moisture, and heat transport in soil porous medium. The two-layer energy balance model estimates evaporation fluxes from transpiration, interception, and soil surface. The model was implemented to an oak forest area in Missouri, USA. For model calibration and validation, measurements of energy fluxes, soil moisture, and soil temperature were used. The proposed model is compared with a simple model that couples the Penman-Monteith equation with the Richards’ equation. The results indicate that the simple model underestimate the total evaporation rate. On the contrary, the proposed model includes a more detailed description of energy transfer, which could improve the accuracy in estimating evaporation rates. The proposed model could be a promising tool to quantify the energy and moisture fluxes in a soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum in vegetated area.

The 2002 flood consequences in the catchment of Otava River, Czech Republic

In this article we analyse and compare the data on consequences of the catastrophic 2002 floods in two subcatchments of Otava river basin collected during specialized mapping in 2003. The Otava River is situated in the southwest of the Czech Republic. From its basin we have chosen two different subcatchments: Lower Otava River, surrounded by flat, lowland landscape and Losenice River, swift stream descending from the Sumava Mountains. We also present some basic data on the flood course and its hydrological parameters and meteorological causes.