Remote-Sensing Large-Wood Storage Downstream from Reservoirs After Dam Removal
In a new USGS-led study, scientists have leveraged cutting-edge remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to measure the movement and storage of large wood along the Elwha River in Washington State. This research, which followed the historic removal of two major dams on the river, provides new insights into how natural materials like wood and sediment shape river ecosystems over time. Researchers relied on aerial imagery collected from 2012 to 2017 as part of interdisciplinary before-after/control-impact studies of dam-removal response. The images were generated using structure-from-motion photogrammetry using a digital camera mounted in the wing of a small airplane.