Evaluation of Ground-Based LiDAR for use in Fluvial Geomorphology and River Restoration

Ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) techniques have been used for a variety of engineering and geomorphic applications, but as yet have not been evaluated for use in fluvial geomorphology or river restoration. For this pilot project, we evaluated the usefulness of ground-based LiDAR for a variety of projects in fluvial geomorphology and river restoration throughout the United States, including surveys of incised streams, bank erosion, levees, as-built maps of restoration sites, under-canopy vegetation, gully incision rates, fen encroachment by upland trees, and riparian vegetation growth rates. We developed new approaches for surveying using ground-based LiDAR that are efficient at covering ground in streams and would be useful for other geomorphic applications. We found that ground-based LiDAR has great potential in many areas of ecology and geomorphology that have not yet been fully explored. As with other types of LiDAR, development of more-advanced filtering and visualization techniques will greatly enhance the usefulness of final LiDAR products.