Google Earth imagery as a tool for detecting pipe collapses

Subsurface erosion caused by soil piping is of the most overlooked soil erosion processes. It plays a significant role in landscape development (including gully development) and contributes substantially to land degradation. Moreover, soil pipes affect hydrological and sediment connectivity in landscapes and hence potentially aggravate off-site effects of water erosion. Since now, the global distribution of this process remains unknown, as existing publications present only case studies and lack regional or global overview. This presentation aims to demonstrate the potential of Google Earth imagery for detecting pipe collapses (PCs) worldwide. The methods include manual on-screen mapping of PCs in different morphoclimatic zones and under various land use types (e.g., arable lands, pastures). Preliminary results indicate that Google Earth can be successfully used for detecting PCs. Its main advantages are the ease and wide accessibility of the software. Additionally, Google Earth imagery allows analyses of temporal changes in PCs where images from different years are available. The principal limitations are associated with forested areas, where PCs are sometimes observed. This limitation can be overcome by analyzing LiDAR-derived digital elevation models. However, these data are not as readily or universally available as Google Earth imagery.

The study is supported by the National Science Centre, Poland within the project OPUS 29 (2025/57/B/ST10/01326).