Small unmanned aerial vehicles for aeromagnetic surveys and their flights in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Funaki, M.; Higashino, Shin Ichiro; Sakanaka, Shin’ya; Iwata, Naoyoshi; Nakamura, Norihiro; Hirasawa, Naohiko; Obara, Noriaki; Kuwabara, Mikio

doi:10.1016/j.polar.2014.07.001

Cited by 44 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Considering the above, scientists at polar research stations should already engage in the systematic monitoring of the glaciers' dynamics using remote sensing. The following research studies can serve as examples: References [51][52][53][54]. Such activity, conducted for small glacial systems in the Antarctic, will certainly be a valuable contribution to the monitoring of the global effects of climate warming.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluctuation of Glacial Retreat Rates in the Eastern Part of Warszawa Icefield, King George Island, Antarctica, 1979–2018

et al. 2018

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluctuation of Glacial Retreat Rates in the Eastern Part of Warszawa Icefield, King George Island, Antarctica, 1979–2018

et al. 2018

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“…We used aerial photographic images taken by a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Beyond Visual The BVLOS fixed-wing UAV operations allow us to cover a significantly larger surface and gather high-resolution images (with a higher resolution for KGI area than available with commercial satellite images) in one flight in comparison with the Visual Line of Sight operations that usually utilise rotary-wing UAVs. In remote, difficult-to-access polar locations, BVLOS UAV operations allow for multifaceted environmental analyses far away from a polar station, saving time and logistic efforts [19,20]. Recent developments in polar UAV operations, including Antarctic missions, are described in Zmarz et al [19] and Bhardwaj et al [21].…”

Section: Significance and Aim Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Glacier Forelands Based on UAV BVLOS Operation in Antarctica

et al. 2020

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The aim of this article is to show geomorphological mapping of remote Antarctic locations using images taken by a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. We mapped landform assemblages developed in forelands of Ecology Glacier (EGF), Sphinx Glacier (SGF) and Baranowski Glacier (BGF) in Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 128 (ASPA 128) on King George Island (South Shetland Islands) and inferred about glacial dynamics. The orthophoto and digital elevation model allowed for geomorphological mapping of glacial forelands, including (i) glacial depositional landforms, (ii) fluvial and fluvioglacial landforms, (iii) littoral and lacustrine landforms, (iv) bodies of water, and (v) other. The largest area is occupied by ground moraine and glacial lagoons on EGF and BGF. The most profound features of EGF are the large latero-frontal moraine ridges from Little Ice Age and the first half of the 20th century. Large areas of ground moraine, frequently fluted and marked with large recessional moraine ridges, dominate on SGF. A significant percentage of bedrock outcrops and end moraine complexes characterize BGF. The landform assemblages are typical for discontinuous fast ice flow of tidewater glaciers over a deformable bed. It is inferred that ice flow velocity decreased as a result of recession from the sea coast, resulting in a significant decrease in the length of ice cliffs and decrease in calving rate. Image acquisition during the fixed-wing UAV BVLOS operation proved to be a very robust technique in harsh polar conditions of King George Island.

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“…Use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collect environmental data is a relatively new phenomenon in Antarctica, but it has already proved to be a very effective tool for ecosystem monitoring purposes (e.g., Turner et al 2012;Watts et al 2012;Funaki et al 2014;Bollard-Breen et al 2015;Dąbski et al 2017;Mustafa et al 2017;Weimerskirch et al 2018). Owing to remote sensing, it is possible to detect environmental changes occurring over large and difficult-toreach areas and whenever the collection of field data is very difficult or impossible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of fauna population changes on Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island, Antarctica) using an unmanned aerial vehicle

et al. 2018

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an alternative to manned aircrafts is an excellent, less invasive, safe tool, especially in sensitive polar regions. Here we used a fixed-wing UAV to collect data on seabird and pinniped populations in hardly accessible Antarctic areas. The implementation of an auto-piloted UAV equipped with a digital camera (Canon EOS 700D, 35 mm f/2.0 lens) allowed us to collect high-quality material applicable to a quantitative analysis of the fauna populations. A successful photogrammetric mission, at an altitude of 550 m above sea level, was accomplished during one Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight above hard-to-access Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island). Obtained selected RGB images were processed to generate a panoramic image stitch with resolution of 0.07 m ground sampling distance. A total of 4290 (SD = 33.08) breeding individuals of two penguin species, Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus), 426 (SD = 7.78) individuals of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) and 6 individuals of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) were identified in both study areas. Additionally, 222 (SD = 2.0) individuals of the southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) and 76 (SD = 1.0) of the Antarctic shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps bransfieldensis) in the Turret Point area were recognized. The presented observations on the natural history of the investigated fauna together with the available literature may be useful in future research on population trends. A comparison with available historical data for both investigated areas suggests a decrease of 68.29% in both penguin species in the 1980-2016 period. The presented results confirmed that UAVs are useful for remote census work for Antarctic seabirds.

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Small unmanned aerial vehicles for aeromagnetic surveys and their flights in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Cited by 44 publications

References 9 publications

Fluctuation of Glacial Retreat Rates in the Eastern Part of Warszawa Icefield, King George Island, Antarctica, 1979–2018

Fluctuation of Glacial Retreat Rates in the Eastern Part of Warszawa Icefield, King George Island, Antarctica, 1979–2018

Mapping Glacier Forelands Based on UAV BVLOS Operation in Antarctica

Study of fauna population changes on Penguin Island and Turret Point Oasis (King George Island, Antarctica) using an unmanned aerial vehicle

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