Articles | Volume 13, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-167-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-167-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Automatic detection of floating instream large wood in videos using deep learning
Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline – Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Invited contribution by Janbert Aarnink, recipient of the EGU Geomorphology Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation Award 2022.
Tom Beucler
Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline – Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Expertise Center for Climate Extremes, Université de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Marceline Vuaridel
Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline – Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva
Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Quartier UNIL-Mouline – Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Various models have been used in science and practice to estimate how much large wood (LW) can be supplied to rivers. This contribution reviews the existing models proposed in the last 35 years and compares two of the most recent spatially explicit models by applying them to 40 catchments in Switzerland. Differences in modelling results are discussed, and results are compared to available observations coming from a unique database.
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Short summary
This study presents a novel convolutional-neural-network approach for detecting instream large wood in rivers, addressing the need for flexible monitoring methods across diverse data sources. Using a database of 15 228 fully labelled images, the model achieved a weighted mean average precision of 67 %. Fine-tuning parameters and sampling techniques can improve performance by over 10 % in some cases, offering valuable insights into ecosystem management.
This study presents a novel convolutional-neural-network approach for detecting instream large...