Name
Non-intrusive techniques and river corridor monitoring: A review
Description
Traditional fluvial geomorphological studies bother on intensive field surveys, mapping, and analysis. However, with the emergence of geospatial technologies and available datasets, methodological approaches to fluvial geomorphology, especially at the (sub) reach scale along the river corridor, are shifting towards non-contact, non-intrusive means. This study uses a systematic approach to highlight studies on river corridors adopting non-intrusive techniques. A River corridor is an eco-geomorphological space where hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology interact daily. Within this space is a feedback mechanism between the water, the channel itself, and the interactions with living organisms. 277 documents were downloaded from SCOPUS and processed using the bibliometrix package in R. At the turn of the 21st century, there was a significant increase in scientific publication on non-intrusive means along river corridors (R2 = 0.62). From the documents, a higher percentage of studies along river corridors are largely from the global north. In addition, most of these studies still depend on optical sensors, with few using Radar or LiDAR. In terms of study focus, research on riparian vegetation, water pollution, land use, flood, and urban hydrology is the most common. Process studies and their dynamics are very few and far between, especially on velocity measurement, sediment and nutrient tracking, and triangulation of methodologies involving space and airborne platforms along river corridors. The use of non-intrusive techniques provides a boost to efficient and robust river monitoring. It helps develop predictive models and build algorithms to enhance river assessment.