Mapping Mountain Landforms and Its Dynamics: Study Cases in Tropical Environments

Abstract

High mountain areas are critical for water security and natural hazard dynamics, as well as glacier and ecosystem conservation in a warming world. We present a brief account of the methodological steps for geomorphological mapping in mountain areas, including the required scale, the legends, technology, and software. We analyze the best imagery sources and their combination with fieldwork and geographical information systems (GIS), in performing accurate cartography. In addition, we present two case studies in which we apply several methods described previously. Firstly, we carried out a classical and digital geomorphological mapping of Cerro Chirripó (Talamanca Range). Secondly, we studied the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes (Central Volcanic Range), where we used UAVs to map high-resolution fluvial geomorphology. This methodological framework is suitable for future geomorphological surveys in mountain areas worldwide. Moreover, the case studies can give ideas on the application of these approaches to different mountainous environments.

Geomorphological Mapping Global Trends and Applications

“…Europe offers a diverse range of landforms and geomorphological features within this elevation range, making it an ideal location for studying various aspects of geomorphology and environmental sciences. Additionally, Europe has a long history of scientific research and well-established academic institutions, which may have contributed to the concentration of studies in this region [3]. Then, in Southern Asia, those works have been conducted at different altitude ranges, in eolian and fluvial geomorphology, but in the United States roughly all the studies were conducted at low altitude with regard to fluvial, glacial, and coastal geomorphology.…”

“…Geomorphological mapping is a fundamental component of Earth Science that has gained increasing importance in recent years [1,2]. Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them, including erosion, weathering, and tectonic activity [3,4]. The process of geomorphological mapping involves the identification, classification, and description of processes and landforms using a combination of field observations, remote sensing data, and topographic maps [5,6].…”

Mountain Graticules: Bridging Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, and Historicity to Biocultural Heritage

“…Ever since the era of discovery, early naturalists and explorers started the narrative of bucolic nature identified in biblical accounts and philosophical hegemonic treaties of French, British, German, and Spaniard thinkers of the 1700s [22,23]. Geomorphological mapping is an important way to develop preservation strategies [24]. However, with the advocation of countermapping and indigenous revival, the decolonial scholarship is bringing novel dimensions in the study of mountain biocultural heritage of IPLCs, in line with the requested recognition of this important stakeholder in mountainscape conservation by the Aspen Declaration of 2022 to "ensure mountain women and Indigenous peoples' access to resources, including land, social protection and capacity building, to enable their economic autonomy and decision making" coordinated by the Mountain Partnership at FAO.…”

“…On the same vein, when looking at localities we are often favoring the traditional practice of registering elements visible and collected from the road traveled or the transect followed, and printed in gazetteers for biogeographers. The records listed in the catalogue can now be complemented by remote-sensing and geospatial analyses of MtPAs, creating digital elevation models (DEMs) that are easy to illustrate for modeling conservation of mountain biocultural heritage [5,18,24].…”

Multi-Level Attention Interactive Network for Cloud and Snow Detection Segmentation

“…Clouds cover more than half of the Earth's surface [3], and nearly half of the Northern Hemisphere is covered by snow in winter [4]. Cloud and snow are present in many satellite images, blurring surface objects and reducing the utilization of the observed data [5]. However, in the study of climate-human-environment interactions [6], they play a crucial role in researching climate change, investigating hydrological resources, and issuing snow disaster warnings [7].…”