Topo-bathymetric digital elevation models of the upper Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in California derived from hyperspectral image data and near-infrared LiDAR acquired in 2014
Dates
Publication Date
2021-09-23
Start Date
2014-09-01
End Date
2014-09-30
Citation
Legleiter, C.J., Harrison, L.R., Boughton, D.A., Nicol, C.L., and Richardson, R.R., 2021, Topographic and sediment grain size data used to evaluate potential habitat for anadromous salmonids on the upper Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in California: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9MUPT5X.
Summary
This child data release includes fused topo-bathymetric digital elevation models of the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in California used to support research on anadromous salmonids. The purpose of this study was to calculate the capacity for reintroduction of salmonids above impassable barriers. Airborne, near-infrared (NIR) LiDAR and hyperspectral imagery were acquired simultaneously in September 2014 from a Cessna Caravan, with the LiDAR data used to map topography of dry land and the imagery used to map water depth in the wetted channel. Topo-bathymetric DEMs of channels and floodplains with 1-m resolution were constructed for the study reaches by using remotely sensed hyperspectral image data to estimate water depths within the below-water [...]
Summary
This child data release includes fused topo-bathymetric digital elevation models of the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in California used to support research on anadromous salmonids. The purpose of this study was to calculate the capacity for reintroduction of salmonids above impassable barriers. Airborne, near-infrared (NIR) LiDAR and hyperspectral imagery were acquired simultaneously in September 2014 from a Cessna Caravan, with the LiDAR data used to map topography of dry land and the imagery used to map water depth in the wetted channel. Topo-bathymetric DEMs of channels and floodplains with 1-m resolution were constructed for the study reaches by using remotely sensed hyperspectral image data to estimate water depths within the below-water portion of the channel and using remotely-sensed LiDAR for the above-water portion of the channel. Water depths were subtracted from water-surface elevations measured by the LiDAR to obtain bed elevations within the wetted channel. The digital elevation model above the water surface was created using the LiDAR data. We used a Leica Airborne Laser Scanner ALS50, with mean point densities >12 points/m2 and reported horizontal and vertical accuracies of 2 cm and 7 cm, respectively. The raw LiDAR point cloud was processed into bare-earth DEMs with 1 m grid cells. The digital elevation model for areas below the water surface was created using the hyperspectral imagery. Hyperspectral imagery was collected using a Compact Airborne Spectographic Imager (CASI) 1500 (ITRES 2014), producing imagery with 48 spectral bands (wavelengths 380 to 1050 nm). Raw image flight strips were geometrically and radiometrically corrected with ITRES software, then atmospherically corrected using ATCOR4 (ReSe 2014). The final images were in units of reflectance for each band, with a spatial resolution of 0.5 m. Water depths were estimated from the imagery using the Optimal Band Ratio Analysis (OBRA) depth retrieval algorithm, a calibration technique that relates field-measured water depths (d) to an image-derived quantity defined as the natural logarithm of the ratio of two spectral bands (Legleiter et al. 2009).
Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.
MT_topoBathyDEMs.xml “Metadata about the data and how it was obtained and processed” Original FGDC Metadata
View
23.78 KB
application/fgdc+xml
Tuolumne_20140915b.jpg “Tuolumne River, California”
3.39 MB
image/jpeg
Extension:
Cherry_TopoBathyDEM.zip
Cherry_TopoBathyDEM.tif “GeoTIF with topo-bathymetric DEM of Cherry Creek”
151.91 MB
Extension:
Clavey_TopoBathyDEM.zip
Clavey_TopoBathyDEM.tif “GeoTIF with topo-bathymetric DEM of Clavey River”
372.09 MB
Extension:
Merced_TopoBathyDEM.zip
“GeoTIF with topo-bathymetric DEM of Merced River”
1.03 GB
Extension:
SfMerced_TopoBathyDEM.zip
SfMerced_TopoBathyDEM.tif “GeoTIF with topo-bathymetric DEM of South Fork Merced River”
204 MB
Extension:
Tuolumne_TopoBathyDEM.zip
Tuolumne_TopoBathyDEM.tif “GeoTIF with topo-bathymetric DEM of Tuolumne River”
762.56 MB
Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Boughton, D.A., Harrison, L.R., John, S.N., Bond, R.M., Nicol, C.L., Legleiter, C.J. and Richardson, R.T. (2022), Capacity of Two Sierra Nevada Rivers for Reintroduction of Anadromous Salmonids: Insights from a High-Resolution View. Trans Am Fish Soc, 151: 13-41. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10334
For questions concerning this data set, please contact:
Dr. Carl J. Legleiter - cjl@usgs.gov, 303-271-3651
Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Laboratory
United States Geological Survey
4620 Technology Drive, Suite #400
Golden, CO 80403
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to estimate capacity for reintroduction in two iconic San Joaquin tributaries, the Merced and Tuolumne river systems. Currently there are no anadromous salmonids in either system due to large impassable dams. The goal of this investigation was to create a practical workflow that can be used to estimate this dynamic capacity at fine spatial and temporal resolution over a broad extent and extended time period, and use it to see what can be learned about capacity for reintroduction of Spring-run Chinook salmon and Steelhead in the our two river systems of interest. Information on channel and floodplain topography was used as input to hydraulic models that quantified water depths and flow velocities, two important aspects of habitat quality for these species.
Rights
Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.