A DECADE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL DUNE MORPHODYNAMIC OBSERVATIONS AT WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

Topography data derived from airborne lidar and structure-from-motion (SFM) imaging were collected during June 2007, June 2008, January 2009, September 2009, June 2010, August 2015, and January 2016 over the core dune field at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, USA. The 2010 and earlier datasets were resolved at 1m/pixel spatial resolution with a vertical accuracy of +/- 10cm. The latest 2015 and 2016 datasets were collected at ~ 0.25m/pixel and have a vertical accuracy of +/- 5cm. These datasets have allowed for the unprecedented analysis of dune and dune-field properties and dynamics not previously accessible by traditional field observations or two-dimensional mapping from aerial or satellite imagery. In addition, these datasets have provided essential information on resource management to the national monument. Here we review the datasets, methods, and results from the nearly decade of three-dimensional dune-field mapping with emphasis on the three-dimensional properties of dunes, dune deformation, dune-dune interactions and field-scale variations in topography.