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Remote Sensing
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UAV-Based Monitoring and Modelling in Cryosphere and Glacial Research
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UAV-Based Monitoring and Modelling in Cryosphere and Glacial Research

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensing in Geology, Geomorphology and Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 4999

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Artem Khomutov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, 625026 Tyumen, Russia
Interests: remote sensing; cryogenic processes; permafrost; Arctic; thermokarst; ground ice; climate change; UAV in cryospheric science
Dr. Anshuman Bhardwaj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK
Interests: remote sensing applications in land dynamics; landforms and surface processes on Mars; glacial and periglacial geomorphology; glacial hazards; Mars analogue research; high-resolution terrain modelling and interpretation; UAVs for environmental remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dmitrii Bliakharskii

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Earth Sciences, St. Petersburg University, St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests: remote sensing; UAV; photogrammetry; mountain and polar glaciers; Antarctica

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Earth's cryosphere extends from the upper layers of the Earth's crust to the lower layers of the ionosphere. Remote sensing in cryosphere research includes the study of the cryolithozone, which covers around one-sixth of the Earth's surface and is usually difficult to access for field research. The development of remote studies has made it possible to make significant progress in monitoring and modeling the state of the cryogenic processes related to changes in the state of permafrost (thermokarst, thermoerosion, thermodenudation, etc.), snow cover, and glaciers. The emergence of various UAVs (from inexpensive unprofessional to highly professional models) has opened up new opportunities for cryosphere research, both when combined with satellite remote sensing data and when conducting local field research.

Similar challenges are faced when studying dynamic mountain glaciers and ice sheets with constant changes in the geometry of glacier surfaces. These changes can be both slow and catastrophic. In particular, dynamics in cracks and moulins on glaciers, or slope failures in periglacial environments, pose a danger to researchers. Some natural processes on mountain glaciers (breakout of glacial lakes, glacial landslides) can also lead to catastrophic consequences in adjacent populated valleys too. In this regard, the prompt monitoring and safe study of glaciers are significant. Over the past 15 years, UAVs have been increasingly used to solve such problems. 

The purpose of this Special Issue is to show the existing level of possibilities for the use of UAVs in cryospheric and glaciological studies, in order to identify existing problems and prospects. 

This Special Issue will focus on but not be limited to the following topics:

  • UAV in Earth’s cryosphere;
  • UAV-based monitoring of cryogenic processes;
  • UAV-based research of polar and subpolar geosystems;
  • Comparative analysis of UAV-based and other remote sensing approaches for studying the cryosphere;
  • The use of various UAV sensors to study cryogenic processes;
  • Spatial and spectral resolution improvements through UAV-led cryosphere research;
  • A closer look at cryosphere dynamics using UAVs;
  • Evolving UAV photogrammetry of cryosphere components.

We will consider both individual studies and examples of the use of UAVs in cryosphere and glacial research, as well as reviews of the history and prospects of the use of UAVs and their place in these studies.

Dr. Artem Khomutov
Dr. Anshuman Bhardwaj
Dr. Dmitrii Bliakharskii
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • permafrost
  • polar and subpolar geosystems
  • cryogenic processes
  • photogrammetry
  • glaciers
  • glacier mapping
  • glacier area changes
  • volumetric estimations
  • glacio-hydrology
  • glacial or periglacial geomorphology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 31845 KiB  
Article
Applying UAV-Based Remote Sensing Observation Products in High Arctic Catchments in SW Spitsbergen
by Abhishek Bamby Alphonse, Tomasz Wawrzyniak, Marzena Osuch and Nicole Hanselmann
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(4), 934; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs15040934 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2373
Abstract
In the age of remote sensing, particularly with new generation Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), there is a broad spectrum of applications, especially in remote and rapidly changing areas such as the Arctic. Due to challenging conditions in this region, there is a scarcity [...] Read more.
In the age of remote sensing, particularly with new generation Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), there is a broad spectrum of applications, especially in remote and rapidly changing areas such as the Arctic. Due to challenging conditions in this region, there is a scarcity of detailed spatial studies with data that may be used to estimate changes in glacier volume and geomorphological changes caused by permafrost freeze–thaw cycles. Drone-based Digital Elevation Models (DEM) offer a finer spatial resolution with higher accuracy than airborne and satellite-based products that can be used for acquiring, interpreting, and precisely representing spatial data in broad studies. In this study, we evaluate a UAV-based DEM of two High Arctic catchments, Fuglebekken and Ariebekken, located on Spitsbergen Island. The surveys were carried out in July 2022 using a DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone equipped with a photogrammetric Zenmuse P1 camera. A total of 371 images were taken, covering an area of 7.81 km2. The DEM was created by the Structure-from-Motion technique and achieved a centimetre-level accuracy by overlapping very high-resolution images. The final resolution of the DEM was found to be 0.06 m in Fuglebekken and 0.07 m in Ariebekken, with a horizontal and vertical RMSE of 0.09 m and 0.20 m, respectively. The DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone-based DEM is compared and correlated with the aerial mission of the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) conducted in July 2020 and the satellite-based ArcticDEM acquired in July 2018. This allowed the detection of elevation changes and identification of landscape evolution, such as moraine breaches and coastal erosion. We also highlight the usage of DEM in providing detailed morphometric characteristics and hydrological parameters, such as the delineation of catchments and stream channels. The final products are available at the IG PAS Data Portal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UAV-Based Monitoring and Modelling in Cryosphere and Glacial Research)
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18 pages, 3519 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Changes of a Thick Debris-Covered Glacier in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
by Zhen He, Wei Yang, Yongjie Wang, Chuanxi Zhao, Shaoting Ren and Chenhui Li
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(2), 357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs15020357 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2021
Abstract
Debris-covered glaciers have contrasting melting mechanisms and climate response patterns if compared with debris-free glaciers and thus show a unique influence on the hydrological process. Based on high-resolution satellite images and unpiloted aerial vehicle surveys, this study investigated the dynamic changes of Zhuxi [...] Read more.
Debris-covered glaciers have contrasting melting mechanisms and climate response patterns if compared with debris-free glaciers and thus show a unique influence on the hydrological process. Based on high-resolution satellite images and unpiloted aerial vehicle surveys, this study investigated the dynamic changes of Zhuxi Glacier, a thick debris-covered glacier in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Our result shows that the whole glacier can be divided into the active regime and stagnant regime along the elevation of 3400 m a.s.l. The mean surface velocity of the active regime was 13.1 m yr−1, which was five times higher than that of the stagnant regime. The surface-lowing rate of this debris-covered glacier reaches more than 1 m yr−1 and displays an accelerating trend. The majority of ice loss concentrates around ice cliffs and supraglacial ponds, the ablation hotspots. These hotspots can be roughly classified into three types, including persistent, expanding, and shrinking patterns, at different dynamic regimes on the Zhuxi Glacier. With the evolution of these hotpots and glacier dynamic changes, the supraglacial ponds showed significant change, with the total number fluctuating from 15 to 38 and the total area increasing from 1128 m2 to 95790 m2 during the past decade. The recent exponential expansion of the proglacial lake and the significant downwasting of stagnant ice inside the dammed terminus moraine possibly trigger the glacial lake outburst flood and thus threaten the security of livelihoods and infrastructure downstream. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue UAV-Based Monitoring and Modelling in Cryosphere and Glacial Research)
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