Environmental Monitoring and Change Detection of Dynamic River Environments regarding Vegetation and Geomorphology

摘要

After significant river regulations, especially in the first half of the 20th century, in recent decades the field of river restoration and management has evolved enormously. As a response to increased recognition of river ecological values, river functions and ecosystem services, the European Union has integrated riverine environmental monitoring into legal obligations for all member states. Although the environmental policy framework is now clearly defined, one problem that persists still lies with the ability to reliably acquire environmental data in dynamic river environments. Whereas field sampling and measurement methods are very time-consuming and therefore costly, Earth-observation satellites are able to cover large areas within a short period of time, but such sensors are typically of moderate or coarse spatial resolution. In order to rectify this situation, the suitability of a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) as well as recent satellite technologies are evaluated and tested for riverine environmental monitoring purposes according to the European legal situation.