Igor Florinsky

Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics · Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology

We studied the use of morphometric variables (maximal curvature, minimal curvature, mean curvature, topographic index, etc.) for study of the surface of X-ray optical elements. We performed calculations on digital elevation models of a spherical concave substrates: primordial and smoothed digital elevation models, before and after technological ope...

Геоморфометрические методы широко применяются в науках о Земле. Однако геоморфометрическое моделирование и картографирование антарктических оазисов до сих пор не проводилось. В статье приводятся первые результаты работ по геоморфометрическому моделированию и картографированию антарктического оазиса холмы Ларсеманн, полученные в сезон 68-й Российско...

This article discusses application of geomorphometric methods in microelectronic metrology. Six typical microelectronic items were geomorphometrically analyzed using their digital elevation models (DEMs) with nano- and micrometer-range resolution and elevation difference: (1) a silicon–quartz structure; (2) a mechanically polished silicon wafer; (3...

Geomorphometric modeling is widely used in geosciences. However, geomorphometric modeling and mapping of Antarctic oases has not been performed so far. This article presents the first results of our work on geomorphometric modeling and mapping of the Larsemann Hills obtained in the frameworks of the 68th Russian Antarctic Expedition in January–Apri...

The article provides a summary for a series of geomorphometric, geological, and biological field studies of a complex team of the 68th Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) performed at two areas of the Larsemann Hills oasis (Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica) in February 2023. The areas (a rocky island and a cape) are...

Geomorphometric modeling is widely used in geosciences. However, geomorphometric modeling and mapping of Antarctic oases has not been performed so far. This article presents the first results of our work on geomorphometric modeling and mapping of several Antarctic oases including the Larsemann Hills, Thala Hills, Schirmacher oasis, and Fildes Penin...

This study focuses on the quality evaluation of two of the best 1 arc-second public global digital elevation models (DEMs), Copernicus GLO-30 DEM and ALOS AW3D30 DSM, from the perspective of their capability to represent the terrain fine-scale morphology of a complex alpine landscape, located in the Italian Trentino Province. The analysis is perfor...

Рассмотрено применение морфометрических величин (кривизны максимальной, минимальной, средней, топографического индекса и др.) при исследовании поверхности рентгенооптических элементов. Расчеты проведены на цифровых моделях рельефа сферических вогнутых подложек: изначальных и сглаженных цифровых моделях рельефа, до и после технологических обработок...

Antarctica has been significantly influenced by global climate change. Owing to the spatiotemporal limitations of existing datasets, budgetary constraints, logistical challenges, and adverse temperature and climatic conditions of Antarctica, researchers face great challenges. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have helped to solve this issue because t...

Reconstruction of glacial topography is important for assessing the ice dynamics of glaciers in the past and understanding how they may respond to climate change in the future. As an emerging strategy, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been successfully used in glaciology applications to reconstruct surface topography and monitor the short-term...

This study focuses on the quality evaluation of two of the best 1 arc-second public global digital elevation models (DEMs), Copernicus GLO-30 DEM and ALOS AW3D30 DSM, from the perspective of their capability to represent the terrain morphology of a complex alpine landscape, located in the alpine Trentino Province, in the Italian Alps. The analysis...

Рассмотрены особенности анализа кривизны пластин с учетом неоднородности их рельефа для количественной оценки и локализации неровностей или для последующих расчетов механических напряжений. Проанализированы три подхода к расчету кривизны поверхности по цифровой модели рельефа. Первый – основан на анализе профилей поверхности пластины с использовани...

Рассмотрена методика исследования изменения сложного рельефа и формы структур с использованием подходов геоморфометрии для изучения поверхности пластин и сформированных Bosch-процессом мембран. Проанализированы пластины до и после нанесения слоя SiO2, мембраны при реализации метода выдувания. Исследование изменения рельефа поверхности проведено по...

Icebergs are one of the important components of Antarctic ice loss, and their spatial distribution and volume changes have a profound impact on ocean circulation, sea ice formation, freshwater balance and carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean, and ship navigation. Therefore, effective monitoring of icebergs is of great significance. Iceberg height is...

Показаны возможности геоморфометрии для анализа рельефа и формы поверхности пластин и сформированных Bosch-процессом мембран на примерах: пластины до и после нанесения слоя SiO2, мембран при реализации метода выдувания. На мембранах со структурами Al (0,8 мкм)/SiO2 (0,6 мкм)/Al (1,1 мкм), pSi*(0,8 мкм)/SiNx (0,13 мкм)/SiO2, Al (0,6 мкм) обнаружено,...

We discuss techniques for analyzing digital elevation models (DEMs) of surface topography of microelectronics objects exemplified by silicon wafers and wafer-based structures, such as SiO2/Si wafers, silicon–glass assemblies, thin film membranes formed by the Bosch process, and Ni–W films on Bi2Te3 substrate. We describe approaches to calculate and...

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in glaciology and cryology, as well as studying and monitoring of polar regions is one of the most rapidly developing areas of the unmanned aerial industry. An aerial photogeodetic team of the 67th Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) solved two main interrelated tasks: 1) field tests of the newest Russian UAS...

We discuss a technique for investigating changes in complex topography and shape of structures using geomorphometric methods to study surfaces of wafers and membranes formed by the Bosch process. The wafers were analyzed before and after the deposition of the SiO2 layer. The membranes were analyzed during the bulge testing. The study was carried ou...

Definition Morphometry is usually reckoned as the quantitative analysis of solid earth surface morphology. It is mainly focused on the analysis of topography and bathymetry; however, its related concepts and methods can be applied to the analysis of any surface, being it natural (e.g., planetary geomorphology) or anthropic (e.g., surface metrology)...

The Antarctic ice-sheet condition and its response to circulation processes in the ocean and atmosphere are assessed by its size and changes in the position of the Antarctic glaciers edge. The article is focused on the results of the application of data obtained from unmanned aerial vehicles in order to model the surface topography of glaciers in A...

Разработана методика выявления и анализа объемных поверхностных дефектов, в основе которой лежит геоморфометрическое моделирование, в частности — анализ моделей и карт ряда морфометрических величин (минимальная кривизна, максимальная кривизна, средняя кривизна, гауссова кривизна, несферичность и др.), рассчитываемых по цифровым моделям рельефа пове...

A technique for detecting and analyzing volumetric surface defects has been developed. The technique is based on geomorphometric modeling, in particular, on analyzing the models and maps of a number of morphometric variables (minimum curvature, maximum curvature, mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, unsphericity curvature, etc.) calculated using dig...

Such studies are valuable for analyzing structures with complex shapes, quantifying and localizing irregularities, and subsequent calculations of mechanical stresses in films on wafers.

Topography is the most important component of the geographical shell, one of the main elements of geosystems, and the framework of a landscape. geomorphometry is a science, the subject of which is modeling and analyzing the topography and the relationships between topography and other components of geosystems. Currently, the apparatus of geomorphom...

Digital elevation models (DEMs) provide fundamental depictions of the three-dimensional shape of the Earth’s surface and are useful to a wide range of disciplines. Ideally, DEMs record the interface between the atmosphere and the lithosphere using a discrete two-dimensional grid, with complexities introduced by the intervening hydrosphere, cryosphe...

Analysis of topography of silicon wafers and wafer-based structures is an important stage of microelectronic manufacturing. In particular, such an analysis allows one to measure deformation of these objects, as well as to estimate their mechanical stresses. In such works, one can use digital elevation models (DEMs) of wafers and structures with a n...

Crevasses - cracks in glaciers and ice sheets-pose a danger to polar researchers and glaciologists. We compare the capabilities of two techniques - geomorphometric modeling and texture analysis - to recognize open and hidden crevasses using high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from images collected by an unmanned aerial system...

Submarine topography is one of the key factors determining the course and direction of processes at the lithosphere–hydrosphere boundary. In this article, we present results of the first phase of a project to create a system for 3-D geomorphometric modeling of the Arctic Ocean floor. In this phase, a low-resolution desktop version of the system was...

Рассмотрены результаты совместной работы российско-китайского научного коллектива в районе выводного ледника Долк (Восточная Антарктида). Данные получены с помощью беспилотных аэрофотосъемок: российские выполнены в полевой сезон 2016–2017 гг.; китайские — в полевой сезон 2018–2019 гг. Эти материалы дополняют друг друга в контексте моделирования и а...

Mud volcanism is observed in many tectonically active regions worldwide. One of the typical areas of mud volcanic activity is the Taman Peninsula, Russia. In this article, we examine the possibilities of multiscale analysis of remote sensing and morphometric data of different origins, years, scales, and resolutions for studying mud volcanic landsca...

Glaciated areas are important targets for interdisciplinary research. In the last quarter of the 20th century, there has been a significant shift in glacier observation approaches from direct fieldwork to remote sensing. Over the past 15 years, unmanned aerial systems have been increasingly used for this purpose. In this article, we briefly describ...

We develop a system for three-dimensional (3D) geomorphometric modeling of the Arctic Ocean submarine topography. Previously, low-resolution desktop versions of the system were created. In this article we present some results of the next stage developing multiscale, desktop and web versions of the system. We utilize a 500-m gridded digital elevatio...

The Vostok Station is the only Russian inland polar station in Antarctica. It is supplied by sledge and caterpillar-track caravans via a long sledge route. There are a lot of crevasses on the way. In this article, we compare capabilities of two techniques-geomorphometric modeling and texture analysis-to detect open and hidden crevasses using high-r...

Представлены результаты обработки, анализа и геологической интерпретации данных дистанционного зондирования и геоморфометрического моделирования различного происхождения, времени получе- ния, масштаба и разрешения на одну из типичных областей грязевого вулканизма – северо-восточ- ную часть Таманского полуострова. Анализ данных позволил уточнить усл...

Submarine topography is one of the main factors determining the course and direction of processes occurring at the boundary between lithosphere and hydrosphere. We present results of the first phase of a project to create a system for three-dimensional (3D) geomorphometric modelling of the Arctic Ocean floor. In this phase, we developed a test, des...

We present results of the first phase of an ongoing project to create a system for three-dimensional (3D) geomorphometric modeling of the Arctic Ocean submarine topography. In this phase, we developed a testing, lowresolution desktop version of the system. We utilized a small, 5-km gridded digital elevation model (DEM) extracted from the Internatio...

Three-dimensional (3D) terrain modeling based on digital elevation models (DEMs) with the use of orthographic and perspective projections is a standard procedure implemented in many commercial and open-source geoinforma-tion systems. However, standard tools may be insufficient for 3D scientific visualization. In particular, single-source illuminati...

Nearly-global digital elevation models (DEMs) – Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM (SRTM1 DEM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global DEM (ASTER GDEM), and Advanced Land Observing Satellite World 3D digital surface model (AW3D30 DSM) – are widely used in geosciences. A nearly-continental European DEM (EU-DEM) is al...

We discuss the application of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) and UAS-derived data to model glacier topography for detecting and analysing slow and rapid changes in glacier surfaces. The study was conducted in East Antarctica in the austral summer 2016/2017. The surveyed areas included an eastern part of the Larsemann Hills, an Airfield of the Progr...

For Antarctic research, one of the important support tasks is a monitoring of sledge routes and other visited areas for detection of open crevasses and revealing of hidden, snow-covered ones. We study the possibility of revealing hidden crevasses with geomorphometric treatment of high-resolution, glacier digital elevation models (DEMs) produced fro...

We describe and interpret a catastrophic subsidence in the Dålk Glacier, East Antarctica, occurred in the morning of 30 January 2017. We analysed a dataset of high-resolution aerial photographs and video records captured ten days before, one hour after, and ten days after the event by unmanned aerial systems (UASs) as well as UAS-derived digital el...

We present the first results from a study of the 2017 catastrophic subsidence in the Dålk Glacier, East Antarctica using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) and UAS-derived DEMs. The subsided portion of the Dålk Glacier and adjacent territory was surveyed in two flights, before and after the collapse. The survey was performed by Geoscan 201, a small fl...

We develop a system for geomorphometric modelling of the topography of the Arctic Ocean floor. The system will provide: (a) Storage of a big digital elevation model (DEM) of the ocean floor; (b) Derivation of models of morphometric variables from this DEM; (c) Interactive three-dimensional (3D) multiscale visualization of the obtained models; and (...

Three-dimensional modeling is one of the data processing steps, which is important for further adequate perception of the information on spatially distributed objects, phenomena, and processes. Three-dimensional terrain modeling based on digital elevation models (DEM) using simple orthographic and perspective projections is a standard procedure imp...

We developed a web system of virtual morphometric globes for Mars and the Moon. As the initial data, we used 15-arc-minutes gridded global digital elevation models (DEMs) extracted from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) gridded archives. We derived global digital models of sixteen morphometric vari...

Quasi-global, medium-resolution land surface models — the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model (SRTM1 DEM), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global DEM (ASTER GDEM), and the Advanced Land Observing Satellite World 3D digital surface model (AW3D30 DSM) — are widely used in geosciences. We carried...

Existing algorithms of geomorphometry can be applied to digital elevation models (DEMs) given with plane square grids or spheroidal equal angular grids on the surface of an ellipsoid of revolution or a sphere. Computations on spheroidal equal angular grids are trivial for modelling of the Earth, Mars, the Moon, Venus, and Mercury. This is because:...

For Antarctic research, one of the most important support tasks is a rapid and safe monitoring of sledge routes, snow / ice airfields, and other visited areas for detection of open crevasses, revealing of hidden, snow-covered ones, as well as studying of their dynamics. We present the first results from a study of applying unmanned aerial systems (...

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are widely used for remote sensing, including the production of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs). We study the possibilities of UAS-based aerial surveys to produce photogrammetrically sound, high-resolution DEMs intended for geomorphometric modeling. The study was conducted at the Zaoksky testing ground...

Topography is one of the key characteristics of a planetary body. Geomorphometry deals with quantitative modeling and analysis of the topographic surface and relationships between topography and other natural components of landscapes. The surface of Mercury is systematically studied by interpretation of images acquired during the MErcury Surface, S...

Geomorphometry is widely used to solve various multiscale geoscientific problems. For the successful application of geomorphometric methods, a researcher should know the basic mathematical concepts of geomorphometry and be aware of the system of morphometric variables, as well as understand their physical, mathematical and geographical meanings. Th...

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are commonly constructed using two main types of regular grids: plane square grids and spheroidal equal angular grids. Methods and algorithms intended for plane square-gridded DEMs should not be directly applied to spheroidal equal angular DEMs. This is because these grids have fundamentally different geometry. Howev...

Global morphometric models can be useful for earth and planetary studies. Virtual globes — programs implementing interactive three-dimensional (3D) models of planets — are increasingly used in geo- and planetary sciences. We describe the development of a desktop system of virtual morphometric globes for Mars and the Moon. As the initial data, we us...

Geomorphometric modeling is widely used to study multiscale problems of the Earth and planetary sciences. Existing algorithms of geomorphometry can be applied to terrain models given by plane square grids or spheroidal equal angular grids on a surface of an ellipsoid of revolution or a sphere. Computations on spheroidal equal angular grids are triv...

Topography in many ways controls gravity-driven overland and intrasoil transport of water. At the same time, valley networks, determining principal routes of overland flows, often can be connected with fault networks, which serve as pathways for upward transport of groundwater. For tectonic regions, it was established that topographically expressed...

In this chapter, we first present a brief review of techniques used to produce digital elevation models (DEMs). We consider general principles of DEM production through conventional ground topographic surveys, kinematic global navigation satellite system techniques, stereophotogrammetry, structure-from-motion techniques, laser altimetry, synthetic...

It is well known that topography is one of the soil-forming factors. This chapter discusses the main regularities in the influence of topography on spatial distribution of soil properties exemplified by soil moisture content. In particular, we explain the role of slope gradient and aspect; horizontal, vertical, and mean curvatures; as well as catch...

This chapter discusses the basic physical and mathematical concepts of digital terrain analysis. First, we introduce the notion of the topographic surface and its limitations. Second, we discuss contour lines, special and nonspecial points, slope lines, and flow lines. Third, we present definitions, formulae, and physical meanings for five main gro...

There are three main mathematical problems in digital terrain analysis: (1) interpolation of digital elevation models (DEMs); (2) DEM generalization and denoising; and (3) computation of morphometric variables through calculating partial derivatives of elevation. Traditionally, these three problems are solved separately by means of procedures imple...

This chapter deals with calculation methods of digital terrain modeling. First, we describe the Evans-Young method, a conventional finite-difference technique to compute local topographic attributes. Second, we present two methods to derive models of local morphometric variables from digital elevation models based on plane square grids and spheroid...

In this chapter, we discuss peculiarities of the visualization of digital terrain models (DTMs). For the correct perception of morphometric maps, it is reasonable: (a) to apply hypsometric tinting; (b) to subdivide values of morphometric variables into intervals relative to the zero value; (c) to select contrast color schemes; and (d) to employ a l...

Lineaments are usually associated with faults and linear zones of fracturing, bending deformation, and increased permeability of the crust. In this chapter, we describe a method to reveal and classify topographically expressed lineaments. The method in based on the derivation of horizontal and vertical curvatures from digital elevation models (DEMs...

The chapter looks at predictive soil mapping, a growing branch of soil science, the central idea of which was explicitly defined by Dokuchaev in 1886. In predictive soil mapping, it is common to use morphometric variables as key predictors of soil properties. We briefly review predictive soil mapping methods developed in the pre-computer era. Then...

This chapter investigates the problem of errors and accuracy of digital terrain models (DTMs). First, we look at sources and types of errors in digital elevation models, as well as methods of their detection and analysis. Second, we describe a method to estimate calculation accuracy of digital models of local morphometric attributes using the crite...

This chapter discusses various aspects of filtering digital terrain models (DTMs). There are three main tasks of DTM filtering: (1) DTM decomposition, that is, separation of high- and low-frequency components of the topographic surface to study its structure and elements of different scales; (2) DTM denoising; and (3) DTM generalization. We briefly...

In the past few decades, there have been proposals suggesting the existence of hidden global linear (helical) structures, which are expressed tectonically and topographically. In this chapter, we examine this hypothesis using spheroidal digital terrain modeling and global digital elevation models of Earth, Mars, Venus, and Earth’s moon. Local and n...

Folds of various scales are the most abundant and studied geological features. In this chapter, we discuss applications of data on curvatures of the land and stratigraphic surfaces in research of folds and folding processes. In particular, such data are used (a) to describe the geometry of folds and to classify folds; (b) to predict the degree of f...

This chapter presents a brief historical overview of the progress of digital terrain modeling in the context of soil and geological studies. It is demonstrated that, at present, there are four main research trends in soil- and geology-oriented digital terrain modeling: (1) analysis and modeling of relationships between soil properties and topograph...

The central problem of combined analysis of digital terrain models (DTMs) and soil data is the selection of the correct value for the DTM grid spacing. The chapter describes a method to determine the adequate grid spacing based on the concept of representative elementary volume. The method includes the following steps: (a) deriving a set of DTMs us...

Digital Terrain Analysis in Soil Science and Geology, Second Edition, synthesizes the knowledge on methods and applications of digital terrain analysis and geomorphometry in the context of multi-scale problems in soil science and geology. Divided into three parts, the book first examines main concepts, principles, and methods of digital terrain mod...

We are developing a unified distributed communication environment for processing of spatial data which integrates web-, desktop- and mobile platforms and combines volunteer computing model and public cloud possibilities. The main idea is to create a flexible working environment for research groups, which may be scaled according to required data vol...

There are three major mathematical problems in digital terrain analysis: (1) interpolation of digital elevation models (DEMs); (2) DEM generalization and denoising; and (3) computation of morphometric variables through calculating partial derivatives of elevation. Traditionally, these three problems are solved separately by means of procedures impl...

We describe the development of the first testing version of the system of virtual morphometric globes for the Earth, Mars, and the Moon. As the initial data, we used three 15'-gridded global digital elevation models extracted from SRTM30_PLUS, the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter gridded archives. We derived globa...

Local legends may contain information about real geological events of the past. Earthquake lights (EQL) can occur in the atmosphere over earthquake epicenter areas and adjacent faults before and during quakes. They may look like diffuse airglow, flashes, fiery pillars, and luminous balls. EQL may cause a mystical experience probably due to the infl...

The Molnieboi Spur is located at the northwestern margin of the Katun Range, the high-mountain part of the Altai Mountains. Unique geological and geophysical characteristics of the Molnieboi Spur made it an attractive target for complex botanical studies including botanical, soil, geological, geochemical, geophysical, radiation, and soil gas survey...

Virtual globes - programs implementing interactive three-dimensional (3D) models of planets - are increasingly used in geosciences. Global morphometric models can be useful for tectonic and planetary studies. We describe the development of the first testing version of the system of virtual morphometric globes for the Earth, Mars, and the Moon. As t...

Geophysical and geochemical anomalies may have a mutagenic effect on plants growing in active fault zones being the factors of evolutionary transformation of plant populations. To test this assumption we evaluated the mutation activity of a Lonicera caerulea natural population in one of the active fault zones in the Altai Mountains. We derived prin...

Mathematical problems of digital terrain analysis include interpolation of digital elevation models (DEMs), DEM generalization and denoising, and computation of morphometric variables by calculation of partial derivatives of elevation. Traditionally, these procedures are based on numerical treatments of two-variable discrete functions of elevation....

Methods of digital terrain modelling and quantitative geomorphometric techniques allow one to reveal hidden topographic structures, e.g. palaeochanells and palaeodeltas. Using a cartographic morphometric technique based on the derivation of horizontal curvature, we revealed a palaeodelta of rivers of the northern slope of the Crimean Mountains loca...

Predictive digital soil mapping is widely used in soil science. Its objective is the prediction of the spatial distribution of soil taxonomic units and quantitative soil properties via the analysis of spatially distributed quantitative characteristics of soil-forming factors. Western pedometrists stress the scientific priority and principal importa...

A systematization of restrictions in the radiocarbon dating method is performed. We present a hypothesis of the influence of the magnetic isotope effect on the rate and direction of processes of accumulation of carbon isotopic molecules of different parity, which can affect the accuracy and reliability of the radiocarbon dating method.

The chapter explains that soil moisture content depends not only on topography but also on some physical and hydraulic characteristics of soils, such as soil texture and soil water retention. Topography is one of the soil-forming factors. Topography influences climatic and meteorological characteristics, which affect the hydrological and temperatur...

This chapter defines the peculiarities of morphometric mapping. For all morphometric variables, whose values can be both positive and negative, it is necessary to subdivide their values relative to the zero value. This is connected, in part, with the fact that values of different signs can measure different directions of a physical process associat...

This chapter defines the theory of adequate resolution of models. The method of this theory is largely based on principles of the concept of elementary volume used in mass transfer description, in particular, in hydrogeology. Some principles of this concept can be applied to solve a wide range of two-dimensional problems of the geosciences if one s...

The chapter explains the role of relative accumulation zones in the formation of soil properties. Accumulation zones are usually closed depressions of different scales; soil moisture content can be highly increased in such depressions. Some migration routes of surface flows can coincide with some surface discharge areas of deep flows. A study of su...

This chapter highlights the digital elevation models (DEMs), their generation, grid types, resolution, and interpolation. A DTM is a two-dimensional discrete function of a morphometric variable, which defines the topographic surface as a set of values measured or computed at the grid nodes. Among DTMs are DEMs, digital models of slope gradient, hor...

This chapter explains the folds of various hierarchical levels, which are the most abundant and studied geological features. In the context of fold studies, methods of digital terrain modeling are applied to solve at least three problems: analyzation of the geometry of folds and their classification, prediction of the degree of deformation or strai...