Manned aerial surveys are routinely used to assess cetacean distribution and density, often over large geographic areas. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been identified as a technology that could augment or replace manned aerial surveys for cetaceans. To understand what research questions involving cetacean distribution and density can be addressed using manned and UAS technology in the Arctic, we conducted paired aerial surveys for cetaceans near Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska. We present the methods and operational results from the project, and challenges encountered during the field work. Fall arctic weather varied dramatically over small spatiotemporal scales and harsh environmental conditions increased the maintenance required for repeated UAS operations. Various technologies, such as temperature and humidity sensors, a software system that provided near-term forecasts of highly variable weather, and a surface-based air traffic radar feed, directly contributed to the ability to conduct routine, successful, beyond line-of-sight UAS flights under these situations. We provide recommendations for future projects to help streamline project planning and enhance researchers' ability to use UAS to collect data needed for ecological research.Résumé : Les levés réalisés au moyen d'aéronefs pilotés sont couramment utilisés pour évaluer la répartition et la densité de cétacés, souvent sur de grandes régions géographiques. Les systèmes d'aéronef sans pilote (UAS) ont été signalés comme étant une technologie qui pourrait compléter ou remplacer les levés aériens avec pilote sur les cétacés. Dans le but de comprendre quelles questions de recherche liées à la répartition et à la densité de cétacés peuvent être étudiées utilisant la technologie avec et sans pilote dans l'Arctique, nous avons réalisé des levés aériens combinés sur les cétacés près d'Utqiagvik (Barrow), en Alaska. Nous présentons les méthodes et les résultats opérationnels du projet et les défis qui se sont présentés lors du travail sur le terrain. Les conditions météorologiques automnales en Arctique variaient radicalement, et ce,

Because unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) offer new perspectives on the atmosphere, their use in atmospheric science is expanding rapidly. In support of this growth, the International Society for Atmospheric Research Using Remotely-Piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) has been developed and has convened annual meetings and “flight weeks.” The 2018 flight week, dubbed the Lower Atmospheric Profiling Studies at Elevation–A Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE), involved a 1-week deployment to Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Between 14 and 20 July 2018 over 100 students, scientists, engineers, pilots, and outreach coordinators conducted an intensive field operation using unmanned aircraft and ground-based assets to develop datasets, community, and capabilities. In addition to a coordinated “Community Day” which offered a chance for groups to share their aircraft and science with the San Luis Valley community, LAPSE-RATE participants conducted nearly 1,300 research flights totaling over 250 flight hours. The measurements collected have been used to advance capabilities (instrumentation, platforms, sampling techniques, and modeling tools), conduct a detailed system intercomparison study, develop new collaborations, and foster community support for the use of UAS in atmospheric science.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) project evaluated the ability of observations from high-altitude unmanned aircraft to improve forecasts of high-impact weather events like tropical cyclones or mitigate potential degradation of forecasts in the event of a future gap in satellite coverage. During three field campaigns conducted in 2015 and 2016, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Hawk, instrumented with GPS dropwindsondes and remote sensors, flew 15 missions sampling 6 tropical cyclones and 3 winter storms. Missions were designed using novel techniques to target sampling regions where high model forecast uncertainty and a high sensitivity to additional observations existed. Data from the flights were examined in real time by operational forecasters, assimilated in operational weather forecast models, and applied postmission to a broad suite of data impact studies. Results from the analyses spanning different models and assimilation schemes, though limited in number, consistently demonstrate the potential for a positive forecast impact from the observations, both with and without a gap in satellite coverage. The analyses with the then-operational modeling system demonstrated large forecast improvements near 15% for tropical cyclone track at a 72-h lead time when the observations were added to the otherwise complete observing system. While future decisions regarding use of the Global Hawk platform will include budgetary considerations, and more observations are required to enhance statistical significance, the scientific results support the potential merit of the observations. This article provides an overview of the missions flown, observational approach, and highlights from the completed and ongoing data impact studies.

No abstract

No abstract

With the international pressure mounting on first world and developing countries to respond to climate change by targeted reductions in carbon emissions and their overall carbon footprint, increasing focus is being placed on the exploration of new and renewable energy sources using innovative and emerging technologies, such as marine tidal turbines. In pursuing new energy sources, governments must put in place a clear and consistent national energy strategy that addresses the use of renewable energy sources as well as the environmentally sustainable use of traditional energy sources. The national energy strategy must also place a strong emphasis on energy conservation as well as emphasize integrated solutions, solutions that make use of the best available technologies and can be readily tailored to local requirements. Such solutions evolve as technologies change, and provide a wide range of choices to meet varying social, economic and environmental conditions. As these solutions evolve, so must the legislative framework evolve to ensure these solutions are developed and operated not only for the social and economic benefits they offer, but also to cater for their potential environmental impacts. Marine tidal turbines harvest energy by the rising and falling of the sea and the tidal stream across turbine rotors which generate electricity to the grid. The United Kingdom is a world leader in development and application of this technology. This paper examines the key areas in developing Marine Tidal Energy (MTE) as a source of renewable energy; the level of maturity in legislation, development of technology and the potential environmental impacts to marine life.

No abstract

W hile significant progress has been made in forecasting highimpact weather like tropical cyclones, skill remains limited. High-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) like NASA's Global Hawk may complement and enhance the observations that could improve these forecasts. While the capabilities of the Global Hawk have been successfully demonstrated for research, the potential impacts of its observations on operational weather forecasting need to be established. HALE UAS could, for example, temporarily supplement a satellite observation gap, such as was feared might occur as the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) awaited the deployment of its successor, Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1). To mitigate such risks, NOAA initiated the Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) project to demonstrate and test a prototype UAS in 2015-16. With no satellite data gap occurring, the project ultimately did