Mapping of Submerged Landforms in Daecheong Lake Using Historical Aerial Photos

The construction of a dam submerges everything, including the natural landforms and the lives of local residents. The landforms hidden beneath the lake surface is difficult to discern using today’s maps. In this study, we construct a past DEM using historical aerial photos which were taken before the dam construction, and classify the landforms in the submerged area. The past DEM was created by merging the interior and exterior of the lake, with the interior based on past aerial photos and the exterior based on the latest digital map. As a result of the study, it was possible to identify the past landforms in the submerged area of Daecheong Lake, including old channels, bars, floodplains, river terraces, and small tributaries. In particular, the river terrace discovered in this study is the first report of that landform in this region. This study suggests that the hidden landforms can be recognized is possible in submerged areas through DEM generated using historical aerial photographs with old maps.