scholarly journals High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2735
Author(s):  
Bo Cao ◽  
Weijin Guan ◽  
Kaiji Li ◽  
Baotian Pan ◽  
Xiaodong Sun
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Glacial Dynamics ◽  
The Qilian Mountains ◽  
Digital Orthophoto

Glaciers located in the Qilian Mountains are rapidly retreating and thinning due to climate change. The current understanding of small glacier mass balance changes under a changing climate is limited by the scarcity of in situ measurements in both time and space as well as the resolution of remote sensing products. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide an unparalleled opportunity to track the spatiotemporal variations in glacier extent at a high resolution and the changing glacier morphological features related to glacial dynamics. Five measurements were performed on the Ningchan No. 1 (NC01) glacier in the Qilian Mountains between 18 August 2017 and 13 August 2020. The glacier changes displayed in the digital orthophoto maps (DOMs) and digital surface models (DSMs) show a 7.4 ± 0.1 m a−1 retreat of the terminus of NC01, a mass balance of −1.22 ± 0.1 m w.e. a−1 from 2017 to 2020, and a maximum surface velocity of 3.2 ± 0.47 m from 18 August 2017 to 26 August 2018, which clearly show consistency with stake measurements. The surface elevation change was influenced by the combined effects of air temperature, altitude, slope, and surface velocity. This research demonstrates that UAV photogrammetry can greatly improve the temporal and spatial resolution of glaciological research.

scholarly journals Suitability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Cadastral Surveys

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
S. Mantey
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite Systems ◽  
Satellite Systems ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
High Resolution Images ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Cadastral Surveying ◽  
Difficult Terrain ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Cadastral surveys in Ghana often employ well known surveying equipment such as Total Station andGNSSreceivers or a combination of both. These survey techniques are well-established and widely accepted. However, there are limitations in certain areas. In situations where difficult terrain and inaccessible areas and dense vegetation are encountered or when surveyor’s life may be at risk, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) could be used to overcome the limitations of these well-established survey instruments. This research used high resolution images from UAV (DJI Phantom 4) to survey plots within the University of Mines and Technology land area. Coordinates of the boundary points were extracted using Agisoft Photoscan.GNSSreceivers were also used to survey the land and the same boundary point coordinates obtained and compared. This enabled the establishment of accurate ground control points for georeferencing. The coordinates obtained from both UAV andGNSSSurveys were used to prepare cadastral plans and compared. The difference in Northings and Eastings from UAV andGNSSsurveys were +0.380 cmand +0.351 cmrespectively. These differences are well within tolerance of +/-0.9114 m(+/-3 ft) set by the Survey and Mapping Division (SMD) of the Lands Commission for cadastral plans production. This research therefore concludes that high resolution images from UAVs are suitable for cadastral surveying. Keywords: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Drones, Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Cadastral Surveys

Potential Effect of Black Carbon on Glacier Mass Balance during the Past 55 Years of Laohugou Glacier No. 12, Western Qilian Mountains

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizu Chen ◽  
Xiang Qin ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Wentao Du ◽  
Weijun Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past

scholarly journals Mapping of land cover with open‐source software and ultra‐high‐resolution imagery acquired with unmanned aerial vehicles

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ned Horning ◽  
Erica Fleishman ◽  
Peter J. Ersts ◽  
Frank A. Fogarty ◽  
Martha Wohlfeil Zillig
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
High Resolution Imagery

scholarly journals Operational Framework for Rapid, Very-high Resolution Mapping of Glacial Geomorphology Using Low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Structure-from-Motion Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek W. Ewertowski ◽  
Aleksandra M. Tomczyk ◽  
David J. A. Evans ◽  
David H. Roberts ◽  
Wojciech Ewertowski
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Structure From Motion ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Glacial Geomorphology ◽  
High Resolution Mapping ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Resolution Mapping ◽  
Very High

This study presents the operational framework for rapid, very-high resolution mapping of glacial geomorphology, with the use of budget Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a structure-from-motion approach. The proposed workflow comprises seven stages: (1) Preparation and selection of the appropriate platform; (2) transport; (3) preliminary on-site activities (including optional ground-control-point collection); (4) pre-flight setup and checks; (5) conducting the mission; (6) data processing; and (7) mapping and change detection. The application of the proposed framework has been illustrated by a mapping case study on the glacial foreland of Hørbyebreen, Svalbard, Norway. A consumer-grade quadcopter (DJI Phantom) was used to collect the data, while images were processed using the structure-from-motion approach. The resultant orthomosaic (1.9 cm ground sampling distance—GSD) and digital elevation model (7.9 cm GSD) were used to map the glacial-related landforms in detail. It demonstrated the applicability of the proposed framework to map and potentially monitor detailed changes in a rapidly evolving proglacial environment, using a low-cost approach. Its coverage of multiple aspects ensures that the proposed framework is universal and can be applied in a broader range of settings.

scholarly journals Drone brings new advance of geological mapping in Mongolia: Opportunities and challenges

2018 ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
Otgonbayar Dandar ◽  
Atsushi Okamoto ◽  
Masaoki Uno ◽  
Undarmaa Batsaikhan ◽  
Burenjargal Ulziiburen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Geological Mapping ◽  
Field Techniques ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Geological Map ◽  
Remote Sensing Methods

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have revolutionized scientific research in multiple fields. Drones provide us multiple advantages over conventional geological mapping or high-altitude remote sensing methods, in which they allow us to acquire data more rapidly of inaccessible or risky outcrops, and can connect the spatial scale gap in mapping between manual field techniques and airborne, high-altitude remote sensing methods. Despite the decreased cost and technological developments of platforms, sensors and software, the use of drones for geological mapping in Mongolia has not yet been utilized. In this study, we present using of drone in two areas: the Chandman area in which eclogite is exposed and the Naran massif of the Khantaishir ophiolite in the Altai area. Drone yields images with high resolution that is reliable to use and reveals that it is possible to make better formulation of geological mapping. Our suggestion is that (1) Mongolian geoscientists are encouraged to add drones to their geologic toolboxes and (2) drone could open new advance of geological mapping in Mongolia in which geological map will be created in more effective and more detailed way combined with conventional geological survey on ground.

scholarly journals High-resolution interactive modelling of the mountain glacier–atmosphere interface: an application over the Karakoram

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Collier ◽  
T. Mölg ◽  
F. Maussion ◽  
D. Scherer ◽  
C. Mayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Mountain Glacier ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Basin Scale

Abstract. The traditional approach to simulations of alpine glacier mass balance (MB) has been one-way, or offline, thus precluding feedbacks from changing glacier surface conditions on the atmospheric forcing. In addition, alpine glaciers have been only simply, if at all, represented in atmospheric models to date. Here, we extend a recently presented, novel technique for simulating glacier–atmosphere interactions without the need for statistical downscaling, through the use of a coupled high-resolution mesoscale atmospheric and physically-based mass balance modelling system that includes glacier MB and energy balance feedbacks to the atmosphere. We compare the model results over the Karakoram region of the northwestern Himalaya with both remote sensing data and in situ glaciological and meteorological measurements for the ablation season of 2004. We find that interactive coupling has a localized but appreciable impact on the near-surface meteorological forcing data and that incorporation of MB processes improves the simulation of variables such as land surface temperature and snow albedo. Furthermore, including feedbacks from the MB model has a non-negligible effect on simulated mass balance, reducing modelled ablation, on average, by 0.1 m w.e. (−6.0%) to a total of −1.5 m w.e. between 25 June–31 August 2004. The interactively coupled model shows promise as a new, multi-scale tool for explicitly resolving atmospheric-MB processes of mountain glaciers at the basin scale.

scholarly journals POST-FIRE FORESTRY RECOVERY MONITORING USING HIGH-RESOLUTION MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY FROM UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W8 ◽  
pp. 301-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pádua ◽  
T. Adão ◽  
N. Guimarães ◽  
A. Sousa ◽  
E. Peres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Forest Disturbances ◽  
Ground Truth Data ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Fire Scenarios

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In recent years unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used in several applications and research studies related to environmental monitoring. The works performed have demonstrated the suitability of UAVs to be employed in different scenarios, taking advantage of its capacity to acquire high-resolution data from different sensing payloads, in a timely and flexible manner. In forestry ecosystems, UAVs can be used with accuracies comparable with traditional methods to retrieve different forest properties, to monitor forest disturbances and to support disaster monitoring in fire and post-fire scenarios. In this study an area recently affected by a wildfire was surveyed using two UAVs to acquire multi-spectral data and RGB imagery at different resolutions. By analysing the surveyed area, it was possible to detect trees, that were able to survive to the fire. By comparing the ground-truth data and the measurements estimated from the UAV-imagery, it was found a positive correlation between burned height and a high correlation for tree height. The mean NDVI value was extracted used to create a three classes map. Higher NDVI values were mostly located in trees that survived that were not/barely affected by the fire. The results achieved by this study reiterate the effectiveness of UAVs to be used as a timely, efficient and cost-effective data acquisition tool, helping for forestry management planning and for monitoring forest rehabilitation in post-fire scenarios.</p>

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