Data from: Detecting altimetric changes in Arctic landscapes using historical aerial imagery-derived digital elevation models (hDEMs): Case study of the Black Mountain Alluvial Fan Complex, Canada

In the rapidly changing Arctic, reconstructing landscapes over the last 50
years is essential to understanding impacts due to climate-induced
geomorphic change. While region-wide warming became measurable in the
1980s, spatially extensive high-latitude elevation datasets extend
temporally back to the 2000s. Historical aerial imagery archives provide
datasets of high-resolution imagery from the mid- to late- 1900s with
stereo-capability that can be harnessed to create historical digital
elevation models, or hDEMs. Reconstructing a surface from the past is
challenging due to a lack of ground control from that era to constrain it
in space, especially at high latitudes. The main purpose of this study was
to determine if an hDEM could be used to detect altimetric change in an
area of poor ground control. We developed an hDEM from historical aerial
imagery over the Black Mountain alluvial fan complex in NT, Canada, and
used satellite imagery-derived ground control points to constrain the
model in space. The resulting hDEM, when compared with the ArcticDEM,
yields a vertical RMSE of 5.19 m. We were able to isolate approximately 30
m to 40 m of altimetric change from a landslide (c. 2013 - 2016) in the
Black Mountain Fan catchment, supporting the supervised use of hDEMs for
change detection studies.