Volumetric Change Detection in Bedrock Coastal Cliffs Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning and UAS-Based SfM

Three-dimensional (3D) morphological changes in rocky coasts need to be precisely measured for protecting coastal areas and evaluating the associated sediment dynamics, although volumetric measurements of bedrock erosion in rocky coasts have been limited due to the lack of appropriate measurement methods. Here we carried out repeat surveys of the 3D measurements of a small coastal island using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry with an unmanned aerial system (UAS) for 5 years. The UAS-SfM approach measures the entire shape of the island, whereas the TLS measurement enables to obtain more accurate morphological data at a scale of centimeters on the land side. The multitemporal TLS-derived data were first aligned in timeline by the iterative closest point (ICP) method and they were used as positionally correct references. The UAS-SfM data were then aligned to each of the TLS-derived data by ICP to improve its positional accuracy. The changed areas for each period was then extracted from the aligned UAS-derived point clouds and were converted to 3D mesh polygons, enabling a differential volume estimate (DVE). The DVE for each period was revealed to be from 3.1 to 77.2 m³/month. These changes are rapid enough to force the coastal bedrock island to disappear in 30 years. The temporal variations in the DVE is roughly associated with those in the frequency of high tidal waves.