267-14 Using Small UAVs to Monitor Stream Erosion After High Water Events for the Past Seven Years in Oriskany Creek, Clinton, New York.

Session: Advances in Fluvial Processes and Sediment Transport (Posters)

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Abstract:

New York State collects 2-meter orthoimagery every 5 years in Oneida County that records long-term changes to the channel of Oriskany Creek but does not document the dynamics of the creek that occur during high water events. The ability to capture high resolution orthoimagery data at a scale of 0.5 meters or better following individual high water events due to rain storms, spring melt, or rain-on-snow (ROS) events allows the dynamic nature of the stream to be accurately studied, in a localized area, over a shorter timeframe.

Captured imagery processed in Agisoft Metashape, produces accurate orthomosaic imagery of the area, as well as a calculated Digital Surface Model (DSM) and a point cloud that can be viewed in 3D. Best results are achieved between late fall and early spring when there are no leaves on the trees, but the channel is wide enough in the area I have been tracking that fully leafed-out trees do not limit the view of the channel itself and associated cut bank and point bar morphology. Because of this, dynamic changes in the channel morphology following each high-water event can be documented, including ephemeral channel changes.

Image capture as soon as the weather is flyable after high-water events records features that may be masked or destroyed between NYS 5-year orthoimagery flights. Cut bank erosion and tree fall has not only changed the overall course of the channel in this area but has also exposed slag deposits associated with the historic Kirkland Iron Works that occupied a portion of the site in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

This project is also a good example of cooperation with private landowners. The area is easily flown from an adjacent golf course, and I have standing permission to take off and land the UAV on their property. Whenever I fly a mission over the creek, I also capture imagery of the golf course for the owners. This small “thank you” for allowing me unlimited access goes a long way to keeping up a good relationship with the owners and allowing continued study of this section of Oriskany Creek.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7800

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