Using drones to map and visualise glacial landscapes

Barr, Iestyn D, Adamson, Kathryn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6272-1458, Lane, Timothy, Nebel, Konstantin and van der Bilt, Willem GM (2024) Using drones to map and visualise glacial landscapes. In: 3D Imaging of the Environment: mapping and monitoring. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 45-55. ISBN 9780367337933 (hardback); 9780429327575 (ebook)

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Abstract

Mapping glacial landscapes has been a focus of research for more than 150 years but has developed considerably over recent decades in response to the availability of high-resolution remotely sensed data (e.g., satellite imagery and digital elevation models). The most recent development in this field is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, which are now widely adopted. UAVs are particularly useful in glacial environments since they allow small-scale (sub-metre) features to be identified and mapped and can be repeatedly deployed (e.g., in multi-year surveys) even in these often remote and inhospitable locations. Given that UAVs are now used in many, and probably most, glacial-mapping projects, this chapter outlines a general framework for collecting, processing, and analysing UAV data in glacial environments, before providing examples of some relevant case studies.