Assessment of landslide-induced morphology changes using an object-based image analysis approach: A case study of Hítardalur, Iceland

Abstract

On July 7, 2018, a large landslide occurred at the eastern slope of the Fagraskógarfjall Mountain in Hítardalur valley in West Iceland. The landslide dammed the river, led to the formation of a lake and, consequently, to a change in the river course. The main focus of this research is to develop a knowledge-based expert system using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach for identifying morphology changes caused by the Hítardalur landslide. We use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical remote sensing data, in particular from Sentinel-1/2 for detection of the landslide and its effects on the river system. We extracted and classified the landslide area, the landslide-dammed lake, other lakes and the river course using intensity information from S1 and spectral information from S2 in the object-based framework. Future research will focus on further developing this approach to support mapping and monitoring of the spatio-temporal dynamics of surface morphology in an object-based framework by combining SAR and optical data. The results can reveal details on the applicability of different remote sensing data for the spatio-temporal investigation of landslides, landslide-induced river course changes and lake formation and lead to a better understanding of the impact of large landslides on river systems.