Description
This study investigates the role of a rock glacier interacting with the Shár Shaw Tagà River (Grizzly Creek) riverbed in the St. Elias Mountains (Yukon, Canada), using a unique multimethod approach that integrates hydro-physicochemical and isotopic characterization, drone-based thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, and visible time-lapse (TL) imagery. The final phase of the study focused on characterizing the extent and magnitude of groundwater-surface interactions underlined by the spring inventory and hydrochemical analysis. Due to the large spatial scale (several hundred meters) and the challenges associated with differential stream gauging in proglacial environments, stream temperature heterogeneity was selected as a proxy for detecting groundwater exfiltration. To this end, a drone-based thermal infrared (TIR) survey was conducted in June 2024 to identify zones of groundwater exfiltration. This survey provided a detailed map of preferential groundwater exfiltration locations, contributing to the overall understanding of the rock glacier’s influence on the riverbed hydrologic system.
Drone-based TIR video surveys were conducted on 28 June 2024, between 8:00 and 10:00, to maximize the coverage of shaded sections of the stream. The surveys were conducted using a DJI Mavic Enterprise 3T, equipped with a DJI RTK module and a DJI D-RTK 2 mobile station for GNSS base-station support. The Mavic 3T features a 48-megapixel RGB camera with a 24 mm focal length and a 640x512-pixel thermal camera with a 40 mm focal length. The drone was manually controlled to optimize the capture of surface temperatures across wide sections of the Shár Shaw Tagà River, recording both TIR and RGB videos simultaneously. Flight altitudes ranged from 5 to 20 m, depending on the section. The survey began 180 m upstream of the N1 subsection and ended 800 m downstream of the N2 subsection. Due to difficulties in flying over the “narrow section”, it was surveyed twice at different elevations.
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Drone-based TIR video surveys were conducted on 28 June 2024, between 8:00 and 10:00, to maximize the coverage of shaded sections of the stream. The surveys were conducted using a DJI Mavic Enterprise 3T, equipped with a DJI RTK module and a DJI D-RTK 2 mobile station for GNSS base-station support. The Mavic 3T features a 48-megapixel RGB camera with a 24 mm focal length and a 640x512-pixel thermal camera with a 40 mm focal length. The drone was manually controlled to optimize the capture of surface temperatures across wide sections of the Shár Shaw Tagà River, recording both TIR and RGB videos simultaneously. Flight altitudes ranged from 5 to 20 m, depending on the section. The survey began 180 m upstream of the N1 subsection and ended 800 m downstream of the N2 subsection. Due to difficulties in flying over the “narrow section”, it was surveyed twice at different elevations.
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| Date made available | 19 Feb 2025 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Borealis |
| Geographical coverage | Canada, Yukon, |
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