Shore-based photogrammetry of river ice

Abstract

A simple and inexpensive method using a shore-based commercially available digital camera is developed to monitor river ice. The method was tested in a section of the St. Lawrence River, near Québec City, where tidal currents induce large changes in the ice distribution. It is shown that high resolution objective and quantitative information, such as the ice extent, spatiotemporal variability, and current fields, can be determined from the georectified images. The method proposed may provide an alternative to costly aerial surveys and other more sophisticated remote sensing techniques.