Dr. Merritts observing a steep bank of sediment built up behind a milldam in MD
MONITORING
Using both remote sensing and field investigative methods, WSI is able to track change over time. Oftentimes, our goal is to monitor conditions at a site before and after a restoration.
Our licensed pilots use drones to create high-resolution digital elevation models and to conduct field surveys.
In addition to drones, game cameras are valuable tools allowing us to document stream bank erosion, dam removals, and other processes such as needle ice formation to help visualize the change we measure.
WSI drone footage of the removal of Krady Mill dam in July, 2018. Drone photography and video is a valuable tool in WSI's monitoring arsenal.
With eight game cameras set up in strategic locations, WSI scientists captured long-term stream bank erosion as well as the removal of the Krady Mill Dam in July, 2018. Click on the icons in the interactive map to view the attached time lapse videos.
DEM differencing can be applied to sites of any size. As part of an analysis of legacy sediment erosion at Big Beaver Creek in Strasburg, PA, WSI provided erosion estimates with a high degree of certainty for the nearly seven year period between LiDAR data sets.
This kind of information is invaluable to the implementation of sound restoration strategy to achieve Chesapeake Bay TMDL reductions and meet MS4 requirements.