North-Central - 52nd Annual Meeting

Paper No. 4-6
Presentation Time: 9:55 AM

CHARACTERIZING LANDSCAPE RESPONSE TO AN EXTREME METEOROLOGICAL EVENT IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA IN 2012 USING MULTITEMPORAL LIDAR


DELONG, Stephen B., US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd MS 977, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, 116 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, WICKERT, Andrew D., Department of Earth Sciences and Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, 2 SE 3rd Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, 116 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, GRAN, Karen B., Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth, 1114 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN 55812, BRECKENRIDGE, Andy J., Department of Natural Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Superior, Belknap and Catlin, P.O. Box 2000, Superior, WI 54880, DELONG, Whitney M., Department of Geography, Environment & Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 and JENNINGS, Carrie, Freshwater Society, 2424 Territorial, St. Paul, MN 55114

We are analyzing high-resolution topographic data to guide development of protocols for landslide susceptibility mapping, and to better understand the potential impacts of landslides on natural resources in Minnesota. Observations of landscape change from repeat airborne lidar provide a basis for detailed mapping of landscape change and allow inferences to be made regarding Earth-surface process response to environmental forcing. In particular, we are analyzing airborne lidar collected before and after a historic rain and flood event that occurred in and near Duluth, Minnesota in June 2012. Analyses of these data have heretofore been hindered by issues with the internal structure within each dataset, and with the alignment of the pre- and post-event lidar data. These issues limited confidence in detection of real versus spurious landscape change. We address these issues and present initial observations of widespread mass wasting that occurred on steep slopes underlain by glacial sediment, and on streambanks adjacent to rivers in the region. The analysis includes comparisons of the airborne lidar with repeat terrestrial lidar data collected on riverine bluffs that experienced >2.5 meters of lateral erosion in the flood event.