Unpiloted Aerial System Remote Sensing Applications to Cold Region Weather Disasters

Unpiloted aerial systems (UAS) have emerged as an alternative for collecting data on cold regions phenomenon at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Many studies have focused on remote sensing applications for monitoring long term changes in cold regions, but the role of UAS for detection, monitoring, and response to rapid changes and direct exposures resulting from severe weather in cold regions is not well understood. This review discusses recent applications of UAS remote sensing for abrupt, cold regions weather events including abrupt permafrost collapse and event-based thaw, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), snowmelt flooding, snow avalanches, winter storms, coastal and river erosion, and ice jams. Despite operational limitations in cold regions (e.g., environmental conditions, sensor performance, UAS capability, permitting restrictions), many studies have demonstrated the advantages of UAS remote sensing over satellite- or airborne-based remote sensing for monitoring rapid changes and catastrophic events in cold regions. In many cases, UASs were used alongside other remote sensing techniques (e.g., satellite, terrestrial laser scanning) and in situ sampling to supplement existing data at higher spatial or temporal resolutions or to collect additional types of observations not included in existing datasets (e.g., thermal, meteorological). The majority of UAS applications involved creation of digital elevation models or digital surface models of ground surfaces, coastlines, riverbanks, glacial ice, or river ice cover using LiDAR or photogrammetry. Other applications used UAS observations to fill spatial or temporal data gaps, to improve model forecasting capability by providing model inputs or understanding of specific drivers, to capture imagery (orthomosaics) of specific features, conditions, and phenomenon of interest, or to provide data to assess risks, identify impacts, or communication and management. As the frequency and intensity of extreme weather disasters increase, UASs will likely become a standard part of acquiring data to support scientific advances and disaster management. Future applications will benefit from the pilot efforts by early adopters reviewed in this presentation.