Development of a High-Resolution Digital Elevation Model of a Pilot Study Area in Basin 6, Located Near the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), New Mexico, USA

Authors

Gisselle A. Gutierrez-Zuniga, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Major/Program

Environmental Engineering

First Advisor's Name

Hector R. Fuentes

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Leonel Lagos

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Third Advisor's Name

Walter Z. Tang

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fifth Advisor's Name

David Moulton

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Keywords

DEM, Lidar, drone, UAV, photogrammetry, machine learning, remote sensing, vegetation indices

Date of Defense

11-10-2022

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a high-resolution DEM of a topographically representative sub-basin west of the WIPP transuranic waste repository. This will support accurate delineation of surface hydrological features and development of hydrological models to assess potential impact of climate, karst surface features and incompatible land use activities on regional groundwater recharge that may result in long-term vulnerability of the karst topography and thus the integrity and performance of the WIPP.

A UAV was used to collect over 5,000 images of a representative basin west of the WIPP. Images were processed using commercial software and methods were investigated and compared to create a high-resolution DEM. Current methods include machine learning methods and traditional methods. From the methods tested, the use of VIs is limited due to the spectral bands in the imagery, but it can provide an idea of the vegetation coverage in the study area, whereas Pix4D and LAStools use elevation and the visible bands, to better distinguish vegetation from the bare ground. Ultimately, the point cloud generated by the USGS is more accurate but the UAV-generated DEMs using machine learning methods show promise.

The study will greatly enhance the opportunities to understand regional water balances, particularly the relationship between subsurface recharge and intense, episodic precipitation events, essential for understanding the propagation rate of the shallow dissolution front, and the impact of climate and land-use changes on water levels in groundwater quality, in the subsurface environment, and in the compliance-monitoring wells around the WIPP.

Identifier

FIDC010970

Recommended Citation

Gutierrez-Zuniga, Gisselle A., "Development of a High-Resolution Digital Elevation Model of a Pilot Study Area in Basin 6, Located Near the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), New Mexico, USA" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5144.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5144