Natalia Kolecka

Uncertainty in Historical Land-Use Reconstructions with Topographic Maps

Abstract The paper presents the outcomes of the uncertainty investigation of a long-term forest cover change analysis in the Polish Carpathians (nearly 20,000 km2) and Swiss Alps (nearly 10,000 km2) based on topographic maps. Following Leyk et al. (2005) all possible uncertainties are grouped into three domains - production-oriented, transformation- oriented and application-oriented. We show typical examples for each uncertainty domain, encountered during the forest cover change analysis and discuss consequences for change detection. Finally, a proposal for reliability assessment is presented.

Mapping secondary forest succession on abandoned agricultural land with LiDAR point clouds and terrestrial photography

Secondary forest succession on abandoned agricultural land has played a significant role in land cover changes in Europe over the past several decades. However, it is difficult to quantify over large areas. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for mapping forest succession patterns using vegetation structure information derived from LiDAR data supported by national topographic vector data. This work was performed in the Szczawnica commune in the Polish Carpathians. Using object-based image analysis segments of no vegetation, and sparse/dense low/medium/high vegetation were distinguished and subsequently compared to the national topographic dataset to delineate agricultural land that is covered by vegetation, which indicates secondary succession on abandoned fields. The results showed that 18.7% of the arable land and 40.4% of grasslands, that is 31.0% of the agricultural land in the Szczawnica commune, may currently be experiencing secondary forest succession. The overall accuracy of the approach was assessed using georeferenced terrestrial photographs and was found to be 95.0%. The results of this study indicate that the proposed methodology can potentially be applied in large-scale mapping of secondary forest succession patterns on abandoned land in mountain areas. OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2015, 7 8301

Legacies, socio-economic and biophysical processes and drivers: the case of future forest cover expansion in the Polish Carpathians and Swiss Alps

Mountain forest areas are key for providing a wide range of ecosystem services and are hot spots for land use change processes, in particular, increase in forest cover at the expense of mountain pastures and meadows. Mountain forest systems in eastern and western Europe have likely similar future socio-economic situations but significantly different socio-economic history. Using a scenario-based land use modelling approach (Dyna-CLUE framework) we model three scenarios (trend, liberalisation and self-sufficiency) of future land use in the Polish Carpathians and the Swiss Alps, focussing on forest cover change. We find that forest cover increase can be expected to continue in European mountainous regions under all likely scenarios, limited only by relatively strict policy interventions. Biophysical factors, rather than socio-economic ones, are key for defining the suitability for, and therefore likely locations of future forest cover, but land use legacy plays a very important role in the spatial patterns of future forest cover, particularly in eastern Europe.

Obtaining Snow Avalanche Information by Means of Terrestrial Photogrammetry—Evaluation of a New Approach

Recent snow avalanche hazard mapping tools and procedures offer methods to improve the accuracy and reliability of risk and hazard localization. The validation of numerical mass movement models mainly depends on recorded historical avalanche data sets such as avalanche outlines and release volumes. These data sets are often unavailable or of an unknown accuracy. Avalanche characteristics such as release area, flow height and flow path, runout distance and total amount of released snow mass are essential parameters for proper calibration and evaluation of numerical simulation tools. Incorrectly calibrated models can influence decisions-making which directly affects human safety. The acquisition of high quality data regarding observed avalanche events is often hindered by the high risk permanently present in avalanche terrain. This chapter describes a method based on photogrammetry and computer vision that allows using a single terrestrial photograph with unknown exterior and interior orientation parameters to accurately map avalanche outlines and release areas. We evaluate this method by comparing its results with GPS measurements made in the field and discuss the optimization of measurement efficiency, costs and human safety.

Height of Successional Vegetation Indicates Moment of Agricultural Land Abandonment

One of the major land use and land cover changes in Europe is agricultural land abandonment (ALA) that particularly affects marginal mountain areas. Accurate mapping of ALA patterns and timing is important for understanding its determinants and the environmental and socio-economic consequences. In highly fragmented agricultural landscapes with small-scale farming, subtle land use changes following ALA can be detected with high resolution remotely sensed data, and successional vegetation height is a possible indicator of ALA timing. The main aim of this study was to determine the relationship between successional vegetation height and the timing of agricultural land abandonment in the Budzów community in the Polish Carpathians. Areas of vegetation succession were vectorized on 1977, 1997, and 2009 orthophotomaps, enabling the distinguishing of vegetation encroaching on abandoned fields before and after 1997. Vegetation height in 2012–2014 was determined from digital surface and terrain models that were derived from airborne laser scanning data. The median heights of successional vegetation that started development before and after 1997 were different (6.9 m and 3.2 m, respectively). No significant correlations between successional vegetation height and elevation, slope, aspect, and proximity to forest were found. Thus, the timing of agricultural land abandonment is the most important factor influencing vegetation height, whereas environmental characteristics on this scale of investigation may be neglected.

Forest cover change and secondary forest succession since 1977 in Budzów commune, the Polish Carpathians

One of the most widespread land cover change processes in European countries is the increase in forest cover. Forest expansion on abandoned agricultural land has played a major role in marginal mountain areas since World War II, and especially affected the post-socialist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This study aimed at mapping forest cover change and forest succession in one of the communes of the Polish Carpathians ( Budzow ) over two time periods : 1977 – 1997 and 1997 – 2009. We identified rates of agricultural land abandonment and forest succession and assessed the dynamics of the process using aerial photographs, orthophotomaps as well as cadastral and census data. The results showed that Budzow commune experienced an expansion of forest cover from 40% in 1977 to almost 45% in 2009, and a significant increase in forest succession from 1% in 1997 to 10% in 2009, at the expense of agricultural land area ( 54% in 1977 and 40% in 2009 ). If the trend is widespread over the Polish Carpathians, the real forest cover may be much higher than follows from statistical data.

Using High Resolution LiDAR Data for Snow Avalanche Hazard Mapping

Each year in the Carpathian Mountains and the Sudety Mountains snow avalanches cause a great number of accidents. Avalanches also threaten buildings and affect the environment. The latest studies in Poland aim to implement advanced snow avalanche hazard mapping procedures, which would allow the creation of complex cartographic products for the location of avalanche hazard areas. These preliminary studies showed that results of these procedures strongly depend on the quality of the input digital surface data. The main goal of this study is to investigate this problem in detail through comparison of different types of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), putting stress on high resolution DEMs generated from airborne and terrestrial laser scanning, in the context of estimating potential avalanche release areas and making run-out calculations. Test sites in the Tatra Mountains in the Carpathians and in the Karkonosze Mountains in the Sudety Mountains were selected for this study. The analysis was performed using Swiss Rapid Mass Movements (RAMMS) model and modified script on delineation automated release area. The study recognized that not only quality but also resolution of a digital surface models influence the accuracy of release area and volume estimation, calculated topography parameters, location of avalanche track and other parameters calculated by dynamic models.

True-3D Imaging of Mountainous Regions: Case Study from the Polish Tatra Mountains

3-dimensional (3D) maps, showing the whole mountain ridge, one valley or even a particular rock wall with the climbing route may increasingly offer an alternative to classical maps using traditional 2-dimensional presentation of relief. Geographic information systems (GIS) software enables creating 3D views on the screen, however it is not a sufficient solution as the map are used mostly in the field. In this work a lenticular foil technology is utilized to produce 3D analogue maps and images of tourist and climbing routs in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains that can be perceived with an unaided eye. The advantages of the approach are producing more realistic and visually interesting illustrations of high mountain sites that may help to promote the region among visitors.

Ukształtowanie powierzchni terenu a wartości metryk krajobrazowych w górach wysokich na przykładzie Tatr

W niniejszej pracy zaprezentowano wyniki porownania wartości wybranych metryk krajobrazowych otrzymanych na podstawie obliczen wykonanych dwiema metodami: metodą tradycyjną, w ktorej pomiarow dokonuje sie po zrzutowaniu mozaiki je