poster presentations:

Kaufmann, V. and Ladstädter, R. (2003): Quantitativ analysis of rock glacier creep by means of digital photogrammetry using multi-temporal aerial photographs: Two case studies in the Austrian Alps.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 5611 KB)

Abstract: This poster presents a special measuring method of surface deformation and flow velocity of creeping rock glaciers based on digital photogrammetry. The underlying concept of automatic measurement of 3-D surface displacement vectors in time-series of multi-year digital aerial photographs is explained. In contrast to photogrammetric standard procedures image matching is not carried out in the space of the original photos but in quasi-orthophotos derived therefrom using rough and preliminary digital terrain models. A software package called ADVM (Automatic Displacement Vector Measurement), which is written in Visual C++ for running on a Windows-based PC, has been developed. The software has been tested within the framework of two case studies which comprised the spatio-temporal analysis of the kinematic behavior of three active rock glaciers in the Austrian Alps, i.e. the adjacent Inneres and Aeusseres Hochebenkar rock glaciers in the Oetztal Alps and the Hinteres Langtalkar rock glacier located in the Schober group, Hohe Tauern range. Some selected results of the photogrammetric evaluation are presented numerically and graphically.
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Kaufmann, V. und Ladstädter, R. (2004): Terrestrisch-photogrammetrische Dokumentation des Gletscherrückgangs am Gössnitzkees (NP Hohe Tauern) - Von der Glasplatte zum digitalen Sensor: 3 Aufnahmesysteme im Vergleich. ARGE-Tagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für vergleichende Hochgebirgsforschung, Weng (Stmk.), Österreich, 10.-13. Juni 2004.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 2632 KB)

Zusammenfassung: Am Anfang des 20. Jh. wurde die terrestrische Photogrammetrie als leistungsstarke und effiziente Vermessungsmethode zur Erfassung der Topographie von Hochgebirgsräumen erstmals - insbesondere auch zur Klärung von glaziologischen Fragestellungen - eingesetzt. Im Verlauf der vergangenen 100 Jahre wurde sie jedoch durch andere Messverfahren, wie z.B. Aerophotogrammetrie, Laserscanning und satellitengestützte bildgebende Verfahren, nahezu vollständig abgelöst. Gegenwärtig ergeben sich aber für Hochgebirgsanwendungen durch die Einsatzmöglichkeit von kostengünstigen, semi-professionellen Digitalkameras im Zusammenwirken mit digitalen Auswertemethoden neue Zukunftsperspektiven. Dieses Poster beschreibt die terrestrisch-photogrammetrische Dokumentation des Gletscherrückgangs (1988-2003) am Gössnitzkees, welche durch die Kombination unterschiedlicher photographischer Aufnahmesysteme (Phototheodolit, Réseaukamera, Digitalkamera) ermöglicht wurde.

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Kaufmann, V., Ladstädter, R., Kienast, G., & Lieb, G.K. (2005): Documentation of the creep process of Weissenkar rock glacier (Central Alps, Austria). In: Programme and Abstracts – 2nd European Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, 12-16 June, 2005, Terra Nostra 2005 (2), Selbstverlag der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung, Berlin, 96-97.

[ Poster ] (pdf, 5451 KB)

Abstract: Weissenkar (46°57.5’ N, 12°45’ E) is a glacially shaped cirque in the Schober mountains of the Central Alps which are built of crystalline rocks. These rocks tend to be weathered to coarse debris favouring the formation of permafrost ice under climatic conditions with a mean annual air temperature of approximately –2 °C in 2500 m a.s.l. Due to the vertical extent of the cirque ranging from some 2600 m to 3100 m a.s.l. and the steep slope in its upper part continuous deformation of the permafrost by force of gravity has created an active rock glacier as it is also the case in a great number of sites with comparable topography in this mountain group. The creeping permafrost body has actually reached a plateau where its motion is retarded due to low inclination resulting in a very pronounced surface topography.This poster is focused on the documentation of the kinematic state of Weissenkar rock glacier. Geodetic and photogrammetric measurements have been carried out in order to obtain quantitative information on surface deformation, in general, and creep velocity and surface height change, in particular. In 1997 a geodetic network consisting of two stable reference points located in the vicinity of the rock glacier and 18 observation points on the rock glacier was installed and measured with substantial support of the Institute of Navigation and Satellite Geodesy of the Graz University of Technology. These measurements have been repeated every year until now, with one interruption in 2002. Annual horizontal creep velocities obtained are rather small and range between 5 to 11 cm/year. In this poster selected results of the measurements (1997-2004) will be presented numerically and graphically. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the data will be given. Large-scale aerial photographs of three different epochs, i.e., 1974, 1998 and 2003, covering Weissenkar rock glacier were acquired in order to obtain area-wide information on the surface movement. Dense fields of three-dimensional surface displacement vectors were computed applying modern digital-photogrammetric methods. Results obtained for the time period 1998-2003 were compared with the respective values of the geodetic survey. The poster also comprises various thematic maps showing the mean annual creep velocity and surface height change for the time periods 1974-1998 and 1998-2003. As a basis of cartographic work a orthophoto map of the area of interest was compiled. Finally, the kinetics of Weissenkar rock glacier will be discussed in respect to its morphology and its specific topographic situation.
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Ladstädter, R. & Kaufmann, V. (2005): Studying the movement of the Outer Hochebenakr rock glacier: Aerial vs. ground-based photogrammetric methods. In: Programme and Abstracts – 2nd European Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, 12-16 June, 2005, Terra Nostra 2005 (2), Selbstverlag der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung, Berlin, p. 97.

[ Poster ] (pdf, 2323 KB)

Abstract: The Outer Hochebenkar rock glacier is situated in the vicinity of the village Obergurgl in the Oetztal Alps, Austria. This tongue-shaped rock glacier is about 1 km in length and 42 ha in size. It has a comparatively high but periodically changing flow velocity of up to several m/year. At the lower end of the rock glacier a landslide has occured, which is caused by the rather steep terrain. The upper part is charcterized by a steady-state creep process. The maximum velocity can be observed right above the sliding zone (at about 2580 m). In this work aerial as well as ground-based photogrammetric methods were used for deriving metric information of surface deformation and flow velocity. Aerial photogrammetry is a standard method for rock glacier monitoring tasks, whereas ground-based photogrammetry, being the historically older method, has not been used anymore. Nowadays, it might become a valuable tool for the monitoring of small scale periglacial phenomena again. This is due to the availability of high resolution digital consumer cameras and modern, fully automated digital-photogrammetric methods. The following aerial photographs have been acquired from the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying (BEV): (1) a stereo pair dated from September 7th, 1977 (panchromatic film), (2) a stereo pair dated from September 11th, 1997 (panchromatic film) and (3) a stereo triplet dated from September 5th, 2003 (color film scanned with 20 micron). The ground-based photographs have been taken during three field campaigns using four different (metric and semi-metric) camera systems: (1) a stereo pair from September 23rd, 1986 (Photheo 19/1318), (2) stereo pairs taken on September 9th, 1999 (Linhof Metrika and Rolleiflex 6006) and (3) stereo pairs taken on September 19th, 2003 (Linhof Metrika, Rolleiflex 6006 and Nikon D100). Photogrammetric evaluation was done for the aerial case (1977 to 1997 and 1997 to 2003) and for the ground-based surveys (1986 to 1999 and 1999 to 2003). First, all analog images were scanned with the UltraScan 5000 photogrammetric scanner of Vexcel Imaging Austria with a resolution of 10 micron. Then an all digital photogrammetric workflow was implemented using the digital workstation ISSK of Z/I Imaging and various software tools. These have been developed for geometric and radiometric correction of the (terrestrial) images and for automatic measurement of digital terrain models (DTM) and 3D flow vectors. The results derived from the two different data sets are presented numerically and graphically. This allows to compare the ground-based method directly with the aerial case and to verify both of them with geodetic measurements provided by the University of Innsbruck. Finally the pros and cons of this two methods are discussed in detail.
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Bauer, A., Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A., Avian, M., Kaufmann, V. (2005): Five years of monitoring the front slope of the highly active Hinteres Langtalkar rock glacier using terrestrial laser scanning: A case study in the Central Alps, Austria. In: Programme and Abstracts – 2nd European Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, 12-16 June, 2005, Terra Nostra 2005 (2), Selbstverlag der GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung, Berlin, p. 91.

[ Poster ] (pdf, 6654 KB)

Abstract: The Hinteres Langtalkar block glacier in the Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria) has been monitored using terrestrial laser scanning during the last years beginning with 2000. The ongoing sliding process and the steepness of the rock glacier front slope prevent standard geodetic measurements as well as surface motion analysis by photogrammetric methods. Long-range laser scanners are able to acquire high-resolution 3D data of surface structures. We report on the sensor and software set-up, the logistics and the procedure for data evaluation for rock glacier monitoring, as well as the results of a long-term monitoring in terms of 3D motion and deformations. It is shown that the system (Laser Scanner LPM2k produced by Riegl Laser Measurement Systems, Austria, combined with software for scanning and data evaluation by JOANNEUM RESEARCH and DIBIT Messtechnik GmbH, Austria) is capable of updating the database for the surface change of the rock glacier within a single day’s measurement campaign. Single time-of-flight measurements with distance accuracy of 5 cm are automatically combined to a measurement grid that enables the generation of a dense digital elevation model (DEM) of the rock glacier surface. Repeatable sensor orientation is performed using reflective targets fixed on stable surfaces somewhere in the spherical field of view of the sensor. The differences between DEMs of subsequent measurement epochs are used to describe the 3D surface deformations. In addition matching based on DEM structure allows identifying both global (velocity field distribution) and local (debris flow, avalanches) permafrost effects. The results gathered through 5 years of monitoring are presented and analyzed. The accuracy gained is within a range of 10cm in elevation. The elevation change varies from –5.0 m to +2.5 m. The obtained results enable the access to high-resolution surface deformation data in all three dimensions. The proposed terrestrial laser scanning method is able to extend, complement and verify state-of-the-art remote sensing strategies for rock glacier monitoring.
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Kaufmann, V. and Ladstädter, R. (2005): Elimination of color fringes in digital photographs caused by lateral chromatic aberration. Proceedings of the XX International Symposium CIPA 2005, 26 September - 1 October 2005, Turin, Italy, Vol. 1, 403-408. (BEST POSTER AWARD)

[ Poster ] (pdf, 1534 KB)

Abstract: In this poster we focus on the elimination of the effect of lateral chromatic aberration within a post-processing step after image acquisition. Since the usage of digital consumer cameras (SLR or compact cameras) in documenation and mapping of cultural heritage is becoming more and more wide-spread, the present topic should be discussed in more detail. Color fringes are inherent to all analog and digital color photographs taken by cameras for which chromatic aberration is not sufficiently corrected for. The width of color fringes, mainly introduced by lateral chromatic aberration, is smallest around the image center and greatest in the corners of the photographs. The authors have developed a computer-based procedure to precisely determine the geometric distortions of the red and blue image channel (plane) in comparison to the green reference channel. The poster also describes how these measurements can be carried out using a commercial software, i.e. PhotoModeler 5.0. In a first approximation the three RGB channels differ in scale, i.e. they are radially displaced. The in-house developed software DistCorr has been modified in order to eliminate lateral color fringes by appropriate re-scaling of the R and B channel.
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Kaufmann, V. (2013): Geomorphometrische Dokumentation des Felssturzes (2007) am Mittleren Burgstall, Glocknergruppe. 6. Treffen des Arbeitskreises Permafrost in Salzburg, 24.-26. Oktober 2013.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 5.5 MB)

Abstract: Der Mittlere Burgstall (2933 m) ist eine markante Felskuppe östlich des Hufeisenbruchs am Pasterzenrand. Das Gletschereis umfließt die Felsformation im nördlichen Bereich in zwei Zungen. 2007 ereignete sich am Südostgrat, welcher vom Eis nicht mehr völlig umschlossen ist, ein größerer Felssturz, der die lokale Topographie wesentlich umgestaltet hat. Kellerer-Pirklbauer et al. (2012) berichten ausführlich über dieses Ereignis und diskutieren u.a. die möglichen Ursachen, wie z.B. Gletscherrückgang und Permafrostdegradation, für diese spontane Massenbewegung. Der gegenständliche Beitrag setzt sich zum Ziel, das Ausmaß des Felssturzes erstmals geomorphometrisch zu erfassen und die Ergebnisse graphisch und numerisch darzustellen. Als Datengrundlage dienen großmaßstäbige Luftbilder, welche vor (2003 und 2006) und nach dem Felssturzereignis (2009) aufgenommen wurden. Als Ergebnis des photogrammetrischen Auswerteprozesses wurden Basisdaten in Form von digitalen Geländemodellen (5 m Rasterweite) und Farborthophotos (0,5 m Bodenauflösung) für eine anschließende Zeitreihenanalyse erstellt. Basiskarten im Maßstab 1:5.000 beschreiben die topographischen Verhältnisse (u.a. auch die Vergletscherung) zu den genannten Epochen. Die durch den Felssturz verursachten Oberflächenveränderungen werden in einer speziellen geomorphometrischen Studienkarte (Veränderungen 2006-2009) kartographisch dargestellt.
Literaturquellen:
http://www.uni-graz.at/geowww/pasterze/homepage/anderes/aktuell/burgstaelle06_07.pdf (Zugriff am 24. Juni 2013)
Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A., Lieb, G.K., Avian, M. und Carrivick, J. (2012): Climate change and rock fall events in high mountain areas: numerous and extensive rock falls in 2007 at Mittlerer Burgstall, central Austria. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 94(1), 59-78.
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Kaufmann, V. & Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A. (2015): Detection and quantification of rock glacier movement in the Austrian Alps using governmental GIS data. TEMPS Final Symposium, Sion, Switzerland, 4-5 February, 2015.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 17.3 MB)

Abstract: This poster demonstrates how the kinematics of rock glaciers can be monitored at a regional scale using multi-temporal governmental GIS data, such as digital orthophotos. Research was carried out in a 125 km² mountain area in Central Austria characterized by widespread permafrost and active rock glaciers. Our main conclusions are: (1) rock glacier monitoring using authoritative GIS data is possible, with certain restrictions in the significance level due to reduced data quality and limited data availability, (2) flow velocities have increased significantly within the observation period, and (3) temporal change of flow velocity is correlated with temperature although mean annual rates computed by averaging velocities over several years mask high inter-annual variations in climatic conditions.

Literaturquellen:
[1] Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A., Lieb, G.K. and Kleinferchner, H. (2012): A new rock glacier inventory of the eastern European Alps. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences, 105(2), 78-93.
[2] Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A. (2013): Ground surface temperature and permafrost evolution in the Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, between 2006 and 2012: Signals of a warming climate? In: 5th Symposium for Research in Protected Areas - Conference Volume, 10 to 12 June 2013, Mittersill, Austria, 363-372.
[3] Boeckli, L., Brenning, A., Gruber, S. and Noetzli, J. (2012): Permafrost distribution in the European Alps: calculation and evaluation of an index map and summary statistics. The Cryosphere, 6, 807-820.
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Kaufmann, V., Roth, K. & Seier, G. (2017): Geodetic and Photogrammetric Monitoring of Tschadinhorn Rock Glacier (Schober Mountains, Austria. AK Permafrost 2017, Einsiedeln, Switzerland, 9-11 February, 2017.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 28.0 MB)

Abstract: Tschadinhorn rock glacier (46°59’38” N, 12°41’47” E) is located in the Schober Mountains (Hohe Tauern Range, Austria) and is one of the fastest moving rock glaciers in the Austrian Alps. It is situated in a cirque northwest of Tschadinhorn (3016 m) stretching from 2800 m to 2575 m. The tongue-shaped rock glacier is approx. 550 m long and between 80 and 100 m wide. It is moving over a rock terrace into steeper terrain where high flow velocities up to 4.5 m/year (2014-2015) prevail. In 2014 a geodetic network consisting of 14 observation points on the rock glacier and of 4 stable reference points in the surrounds was set up. Annual flow velocities of the observation points have been determined for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016) applying differential satellite positioning. Moreover, the kinematics of the rock glacier was mapped with high spatial resolution using multi-temporal aerial photographs of five different epochs between 1998 and 2012. Additionally, in 2016 a first UAV-based aerial survey of the rock glacier was conducted. The flow velocities obtained confirm that also this rock glacier, like several other rock glaciers in the Austrian Alps, has undergone a marked speed-up in recent times. [ Photo - Viktor Kaufmann, Isabelle Gärtner-Roer & Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer standing in front of the poster. Poster Session, 10 February, 2017 ]
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Kaufmann, V., Roth, K. & Seier, G. (2017): Tschadinhorn Blockgletscher, Schobergruppe, Hohe Tauern - ein Beitrag zur aktuellen Kinematik. 18. Internationaler Ingenieurvermessungskurs, Technische Universität Graz, Österreich, 25.-29.4.2017.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 21.6 MB)

Abstract: Die Fließgeschwindigkeit von Blockgletschern wird im hohen Maße durch die Temperatur beeinflusst. Es wird angenommen, dass die an vielen Blockgletschern z. B. im Alpenraum beobachtete beschleunigte Bewegung ihre Ursache im globalen Klimawandel (atmosphärische Erwärmung) hat. In diesem Beitrag wird die Ermittlung der Kinematik des Tschadinhorn Blockgletschers für den Zeitraum 2002-2016 mit Hilfe von flugzeuggestützten Methoden (konventionelle Luftbildbefliegung, Airborne Laserscanning, UAV-Befliegung) und terrestrischen Messungen (RTK-GNSS) beschrieben. Die erzielten Ergebnisse bestätigen auch für diesen Blockgletscher eine stark beschleunigte Bewegung mit einer Zunahme der mittleren Jahresbewegung von 0,78 auf 3,01 m/Jahr (Betrachtungszeitraum 2006-2015). [ Photo - Erwin Heine und Viktor Kaufmann diskutieren den Posterinhalt. Poster Session, 27. April 2017 ]
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Kaufmann, V., Seier, G., Sulzer, W., Wecht, M., Liu, Q., Lauk, G. & Maurer, M. (2018): Rock glacier monitoring using aerial photographs: Conventional vs. UAV-based mapping - a comparative study. ISPRS TC I Mid-term Symposium, Innovative Sensing - From Sensors to Methods and Applications, Karlsruhe, Germany, 10-12 October, 2018.
[ Poster ] (pdf, 9.62 MB)

Abstract: Rock glaciers are creep phenomena of mountain permafrost. Typically, these landforms look like lava flows from a bird’s eye view. Active rock glaciers move downslope with flow velocities in the range of few centimeters to several meters per year. Thus, large masses of rock and ice can be gradually transported down-valley. In this paper we present a comparative study analyzing surface change for Tschadinhorn rock glacier, a relatively fast moving rock glacier located in the Hohe Tauern Range of the Austrian Alps. Aerial photographs (1954–2017) of both metric (conventional) and non-metric (UAV-based) aerial surveys were compared to derive multi-annual to annual flow vector fields and surface height change. For each time interval given we computed a single representative value for flow velocity and, if applicable, also for area-wide surface height change, i.e. volume change. The velocity graph obtained represents the temporal evolution of the kinematics of the rock glacier with good discrimination. Volume change was difficult to quantify since temporal changes were rather small and close to insignificance. The precision and accuracy of the results obtained were numerically quantified. Our study showed that for the Tschadinhorn rock glacier UAV-based aerial surveys can substitute conventional aerial surveys as carried out by national mapping agencies, such as the Austrian Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying (BEV). Thus, UAV-based aerial surveys can help to bridge the data gap between regular aerial surveys. The high accuracy of the UAV-derived results would even allow intra-annual change detection of flow velocity. [ Photo - Poster Session, Viktor Kaufmann (front right), 10 October, 2018 ]
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