Comparative analysis of the Copernicus,  TanDEM-X, and UAV-SfM digital elevation models  to estimate lavaka (gully) volumes and mobilization  rates in the Lake Alaotra region (Madagascar)

Brosens, Liesa; Campforts, Benjamin; Govers, Gerard; Aldana-Jague, Emilien; Razanamahandry, Vao Fenotiana; Razafimbelo, Tantely; Rafolisy, Tovonarivo; Jacobs, Liesbet

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-209-2022

Articles | Volume 10, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-209-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-209-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 10, issue 2

Research article

|

14 Mar 2022

Research article |

| 14 Mar 2022

Comparative analysis of the Copernicus, TanDEM-X, and UAV-SfM digital elevation models to estimate lavaka (gully) volumes and mobilization rates in the Lake Alaotra region (Madagascar)

Liesa Brosens, Benjamin Campforts, Gerard Govers, Emilien Aldana-Jague, Vao Fenotiana Razanamahandry, Tantely Razafimbelo, Tovonarivo Rafolisy, and Liesbet Jacobs

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Final revised paper (published on 14 Mar 2022)
Supplement to the final revised paper
Preprint (discussion started on 24 Aug 2021)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1:
'Comment on esurf-2021-64', Benjamin Purinton, 30 Aug 2021

The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://esurf.copernicus.org/preprints/esurf-2021-64/esurf-2021-64-RC1-supplement.pdf

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-RC1
- AC1: 'Preliminary response to RC1', Liesa Brosens, 22 Oct 2021
  
  The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://esurf.copernicus.org/preprints/esurf-2021-64/esurf-2021-64-AC1-supplement.pdf
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-AC1
RC2:
'Comment on esurf-2021-64', Amaury Frankl, 15 Oct 2021

Well done. It is a well presented case study on gully quantification using RS products. Given that this is a technical paper, I would give more context on specific, but well-known, issues in volumetric quantifications using RS, such as the 2.5D problem caused by gully bank undercutting, or DEM vs DSM when vegetation was not filtered out. Also, from a theoretical point of view, one can already assess whether the pixel size is fine enough to study a landform of a particular size; and this should already be mentioned from the start. Please see detailed comments and suggestions in the pdf. After considering suggestions, I consider that with minor revisions this paper can be accepted for publication.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-RC2
- AC2: 'Preliminary response to RC2', Liesa Brosens, 22 Oct 2021
  
  The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://esurf.copernicus.org/preprints/esurf-2021-64/esurf-2021-64-AC2-supplement.pdf
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-AC2
CC1:
'Comment on esurf-2021-64', Rónadh Cox, 19 Oct 2021

The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://esurf.copernicus.org/preprints/esurf-2021-64/esurf-2021-64-CC1-supplement.pdf

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-CC1
- AC3: 'Preliminary response to CC1', Liesa Brosens, 22 Oct 2021
  
  The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://esurf.copernicus.org/preprints/esurf-2021-64/esurf-2021-64-AC3-supplement.pdf
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-64-AC3

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload

AR by Liesa Brosens on behalf of the Authors (14 Dec 2021) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (17 Dec 2021) by Giulia Sofia

RR by Benjamin Purinton (17 Dec 2021)

ED: Publish as is (10 Jan 2022) by Giulia Sofia

ED: Publish as is (14 Feb 2022) by Tom Coulthard (Editor)

AR by Liesa Brosens on behalf of the Authors (15 Feb 2022) Manuscript

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Short summary

Obtaining accurate information on the volume of geomorphic features typically requires high-resolution topographic data, which are often not available. Here, we show that the globally available 12 m TanDEM-X DEM can be used to accurately estimate gully volumes and establish an area–volume relationship after applying a correction. This allowed us to get a first estimate of the amount of sediment that has been mobilized by large gullies (lavaka) in central Madagascar over the past 70 years.