AN OVERVIEW OF SCALE, PATTERN, PROCESS RELATIONSHIPS IN GEOMORPHOLOGY- A REMOTE-SENSING AND GIS PERSPECTIVE

Satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems are emergi ng technologies in geomorphology. They offer the opportunity to gain f resh insights into biophysical systems through the spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolutions of remote sensing systems and th rough the analytical and data integration capability of GIS. The two t echnologies can be linked together into a synergistic system that is p articularly well suited to the examination of landscape conditions thr ough the interrelationships of scale, pattern, and process, a paradigm that has gained prominence in the fields of biogeography and landscap e ecology. In this study, we apply optical and microwave remote sensin g systems and GIS methodologies to case studies framed within the fluv ial and alpine environments. We use the scale, pattern, and process pa radigm to explore landscape relationships in those environments. Satel lite image processing, change-detection analyses, digital elevation mo dels, GIS-derived geomorphic indices and variables, composition and pa ttern metrics of landscape organization, and scale-dependent analyses are described and related to the study of river channel abandonment an d the alpine treeline ecotone. We describe appropriate remote sensing and GIS techniques for geomorphic research, and demonstrate the use of such techniques in the application of the scale, pattern, and process es perspective in geomorphic studies. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.