Production, Validation and Morphometric Analysis of a Digital Terrain Model for Lake Trichonis Using Geospatial Technologies and Hydroacoustics

Abstract

Covering an area of approximately 97 km2 and with a maximum depth of 58 m, Lake Trichonis is the largest and one of the deepest natural lakes in Greece. As such, it constitutes an important ecosystem and freshwater reserve at the regional scale, whose qualitative and quantitative properties ought to be monitored. Depth is a crucial parameter, as it is involved in both qualitative and quantitative monitoring aspects. Thus, the availability of a bathymetric model and a reliable DTM (Digital Terrain Model) of such an inland water body is imperative for almost any systematic observation scenario or ad hoc measurement endeavor. In this context, the purpose of this study is to produce a DTM from the only official cartographic source of relevant information available (dating back approximately 70 years) and evaluate its performance against new, independent, high-accuracy hydroacoustic recordings. The validation procedure involves the use of echosoundings coupled with GPS, and is followed by the production of a bathymetric model for the assessment of the discrepancies between the DTM and the measurements, along with the relevant morphometric analysis. Both the production and validation of the DTM are conducted in a GIS environment. The results indicate substantial discrepancies between the old DTM and contemporary acoustic data. A significant overall deviation of 3.39 ± 5.26 m in absolute bottom elevation differences and 0.00 ± 7.26 m in relative difference residuals (0.00 ± 2.11 m after 2nd polynomial model corrector surface fit) of the 2019 bathymetric dataset with respect to the ~1950 lake DTM and overall morphometry appear to be associated with a combination of tectonics, subsidence and karstic phenomena in the area. These observations could prove useful for the tectonics, geodynamics and seismicity with respect to the broader Corinth Rift region, as well as for environmental management and technical interventions in and around the lake. This dictates the necessity for new, extensive bathymetric measurements in order to produce an updated DTM of Lake Trichonis, reflecting current conditions and tailored to contemporary accuracy standards and state-of-the-art research in various disciplines in and around the lake.