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Underwater Laser Scanning for River Bathymetry

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Shallow water bathymetry is a critical variable for characterizing both the geomorphic and ecologic conditions in streams. In wadable streams, traditional survey methods can be used to collect bathymetric data. In non-wadable conditions, deeper water (>50cm) can be surveyed using sonar, but shallower water (<50cm) is usually blank or heavily interpolated in bathymetric datasets. To accurately measure shallow water bathymetry, we are testing a custom underwater optical laser line scanner. The scanner consists of an off-the-shelf waterproof digital camera and a high-power green laser line generator. Measurements are made using right-angle trigonometry to map the laser line seen in the images to real-world coordinates in the river. The overall measurements can be used to give an average depth for each image or with additional processing, can provide sediment size characteristics.

Start Date

13-4-2021 10:00 AM

End Date

13-4-2021 11:00 AM

Faculty Advisor

James Dietrich

Department

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Comments

This entry was part of the following session of the event:

  • Session title: Interpretations & Environmental Science; Tuesday, April 13, 2021; 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.; Moderator: Suzanne Freedman.

Electronic copy is not available through UNI ScholarWorks.

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Apr 13th, 10:00 AM Apr 13th, 11:00 AM

Underwater Laser Scanning for River Bathymetry

Shallow water bathymetry is a critical variable for characterizing both the geomorphic and ecologic conditions in streams. In wadable streams, traditional survey methods can be used to collect bathymetric data. In non-wadable conditions, deeper water (>50cm) can be surveyed using sonar, but shallower water (<50cm) is usually blank or heavily interpolated in bathymetric datasets. To accurately measure shallow water bathymetry, we are testing a custom underwater optical laser line scanner. The scanner consists of an off-the-shelf waterproof digital camera and a high-power green laser line generator. Measurements are made using right-angle trigonometry to map the laser line seen in the images to real-world coordinates in the river. The overall measurements can be used to give an average depth for each image or with additional processing, can provide sediment size characteristics.