Integrated assessment of geomorphologic process dynamics in the Ethiopian Highlands using remote sensing and advanced modelling approaches

该项目的总体目标是评估目前的地貌过程，分析埃塞俄比亚高地对侵蚀的敏感性及其地貌演变的复杂系统。拟议的项目提供了一种全面的方法，评估适用于偏远和数据稀疏地区的新的多传感器高分辨率遥感系统的侵蚀和质量浪费特征。此外，还将应用先进的基于物理的建模方法来分析系统动力学和评估景观演变。位于埃塞俄比亚高原与非洲裂谷接触区的试验场有各种土地退化的症状，这是由于过去几十年来与日益增长的人口压力有关的快速土地覆盖变化，也是由于高度的地貌动态。因此，地貌场方法将与先进的高分辨率遥感数据和新一代数字高程模型的评价相结合，形成综合的质量损失和土壤侵蚀评价方法。时间序列数据可以追溯到20世纪60年代中期的S(日冕)，并将通过与过程相关的特征(如表面粗糙度、土壤暴露、坡面移动、植被干扰和土壤特定成分，如矿物组成和有机含量)的实际信息进行扩展。所有这些信息将作为区域范围的输入到分布式模型中。最后，该项目将侧重于开发一种综合的土壤侵蚀和大量浪费评估方法，采用创新的基于物理的模型和非线性“图论”方法，以了解系统敏感性和景观演变过程。后者是理解史前已经存在的人类影响的先决条件。

The overall objective of the project is the assessment of the present day geomorphic processes and the analysis of the complex system of the Ethiopian highlands in terms of its erosion sensitivity and its landscape evolution. The proposed project provides a comprehensive method assessing erosion and mass wasting features by new multisensoral high resolution remote sensing systems applicable in remote and data sparse regions. Moreover, advanced physically based modelling methods will be applied to analyze the systems dynamics and to assess the landscape evolution. The test site at the contact zone of the Ethiopian Plateau with the African Rift Valley has various symptoms of land degradation due to rapid land cover changes connected to growing population pressure in the last decades but also due to high geomorphologic dynamics. Therefore geomorphological field methods will be combined with the evaluation of advanced high resolution remote sensing data and new generations of digital elevation models forming an integrated mass wasting and soil erosion assessment approach. The time series data dates back to the mid 1960’s (CORONA) and will be extended by actual information on process relevant characteristics such as surface roughness, soil exposure, slope movement, vegetation disturbance and soil specific components like mineral composition and organic content. All these information will act as area wide input into distributed models. Finally the project will focus on the development of an integrated soil erosion and mass wasting assessment method with innovative physically based models and a non linear “graph theory” approach in order to understand the systems sensitivities and the landscape evolution processes. The latter ones are a prerequisite to understand human impacts already in prehistory.