Time-Lapse Landform Monitoring in the Pisciarelli (Campi Flegrei-Italy) Fumarole Field Using UAV Photogrammetry
Year: 2021
Authors: Fedele Alessandro; Somma Renato; Troise Claudia; Holmberg Karen; De Natale Giuseppe; Matano Fabio
Autors Affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia Sezione di Napoli Osservatorio Vesuviano, Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, Italy; IRISS-CNR, Via Guglielmo Sanfelice 8, 80134 Napoli, Italy; INO-CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; ISMAR-CNR, Calata Porta Di Massa-Porto Di Napoli 80, 80133 Napoli, Italy
Abstract: The utility of new imaging technologies to better understand hazardous geological envi-ronments cannot be overstated. The combined use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and digital photogrammetry (DP) represents a rapidly evolving technique that permits geoscientists to obtain detailed spatial data. This can aid in rapid mapping and analyses of dynamic processes that are modifying contemporary landscapes, particularly through the creation of a time series of digital data to help monitor the geomorphological evolution of volcanic structures. Our study comprises a short-term (in geological terms) monitoring program of the dynamic and diffuse Pisciarelli degas-sing structure caused by the interplay between intensive rainfall and hydrothermal activity. This area, an unstable fumarole field located several hundred meters east of the Solfatara Crater of the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy), is characterized by consistent soil degassing, fluid emission from ephemeral vents, and hot mud pools. This degassing activity is episodically accompanied by seismic swarms and macroscopic morphology changes such as the appearance of vigorously degas-sing vents, collapsing landslides, and bubbling mud. In late-2019 and 2020, we performed repeated photogrammetric UAV surveys using the Structure from Motion (SfM) technique. This approach allowed us to create dense 3D point clouds and digital orthophotos spanning one year of surveys. The results highlight the benefits of photogrammetry data using UAV for the accurate remote mon-itoring and mapping of active volcanoes and craters in harsh and dangerous environments.
Journal/Review: REMOTE SENSING
Volume: 13 (1) Pages from: 118-1 to: 118-18
KeyWords: UAV, Drone, Structure from motion, Time-lapse, Photogrammetry, Fumaroles fieldDOI: 10.3390/rs13010118