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Assessing UAV-based laser scanning for monitoring glacial processes and interactions at high spatial and temporal resolutions

Assessing UAV-based laser scanning for monitoring glacial processes and interactions at high spatial and temporal resolutions
Assessing UAV-based laser scanning for monitoring glacial processes and interactions at high spatial and temporal resolutions
Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in combination with Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, have become an established tool for reconstructing glacial and ice-marginal topography, yet the method is highly dependent on several factors, all of which can be highly variable in glacial environments. However, recent technological advancements, related primarily to the miniaturisation of new payloads such as compact Laser Scanners (LS), has provided potential new opportunities for cryospheric investigation. Indeed, UAV-LS systems have shown promise in forestry, river, and snow depth research, but to date the method has yet to be deployed in glacial settings. As such, in this study we assessed the suitability of UAV-LS for glacial research by investigating short-term changes in ice surface elevation, calving front geometry and crevasse morphology over the near-terminus region of an actively calving glacier in southeast Iceland. We undertook repeat surveys over a 0.1 km2 region of the glacier at sub-daily, daily, and weekly temporal intervals, producing directly georeferenced point clouds at very high spatial resolutions (average of >300 points per m−2 at 40 m flying height). Our data has enabled us to: 1) Accurately map surface elevation changes (Median errors under 0.1 m), 2) Reconstruct the geometry and evolution of an active calving front, 3) Produce more accurate estimates of the volume of ice lost through calving, and 4) Better detect surface crevasse morphology, providing future scope to extract size, depth and improve the monitoring of their evolution through time. We also compared our results to data obtained in parallel using UAV-SfM, which further emphasised the relative advantages of our method and suitability in glaciology. Consequently, our study highlights the potential of UAV-LS in glacial research, particularly for investigating glacier mass balance, changing ice dynamics, and calving glacier behaviour, and thus we suggest it has a significant role in advancing our knowledge of, and ability to monitor, rapidly changing glacial environments in future.
Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), laser scanning, Structure from motion (SfM), surface elevation changes, glacier calving, glacier dynamics, glacier monitoring
Baurley, Nathaniel
4f7b08da-72ac-42c8-be5d-a2893f09318b
Tomsett, Chris
5b0ab386-98e3-4ba9-bca6-41f058a3ad0e
Hart, Jane
e949a885-7b26-4544-9e15-32ba6f87e49a
Baurley, Nathaniel
4f7b08da-72ac-42c8-be5d-a2893f09318b
Tomsett, Chris
5b0ab386-98e3-4ba9-bca6-41f058a3ad0e
Hart, Jane
e949a885-7b26-4544-9e15-32ba6f87e49a

Baurley, Nathaniel, Tomsett, Chris and Hart, Jane (2022) Assessing UAV-based laser scanning for monitoring glacial processes and interactions at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 3. (doi:10.3389/frsen.2022.1027065).

Record type: Special issue

Abstract

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in combination with Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, have become an established tool for reconstructing glacial and ice-marginal topography, yet the method is highly dependent on several factors, all of which can be highly variable in glacial environments. However, recent technological advancements, related primarily to the miniaturisation of new payloads such as compact Laser Scanners (LS), has provided potential new opportunities for cryospheric investigation. Indeed, UAV-LS systems have shown promise in forestry, river, and snow depth research, but to date the method has yet to be deployed in glacial settings. As such, in this study we assessed the suitability of UAV-LS for glacial research by investigating short-term changes in ice surface elevation, calving front geometry and crevasse morphology over the near-terminus region of an actively calving glacier in southeast Iceland. We undertook repeat surveys over a 0.1 km2 region of the glacier at sub-daily, daily, and weekly temporal intervals, producing directly georeferenced point clouds at very high spatial resolutions (average of >300 points per m−2 at 40 m flying height). Our data has enabled us to: 1) Accurately map surface elevation changes (Median errors under 0.1 m), 2) Reconstruct the geometry and evolution of an active calving front, 3) Produce more accurate estimates of the volume of ice lost through calving, and 4) Better detect surface crevasse morphology, providing future scope to extract size, depth and improve the monitoring of their evolution through time. We also compared our results to data obtained in parallel using UAV-SfM, which further emphasised the relative advantages of our method and suitability in glaciology. Consequently, our study highlights the potential of UAV-LS in glacial research, particularly for investigating glacier mass balance, changing ice dynamics, and calving glacier behaviour, and thus we suggest it has a significant role in advancing our knowledge of, and ability to monitor, rapidly changing glacial environments in future.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 31 October 2022
Published date: 12 December 2022
Keywords: Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), laser scanning, Structure from motion (SfM), surface elevation changes, glacier calving, glacier dynamics, glacier monitoring

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 474570
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/474570
PURE UUID: 3588aa28-58de-472b-ab02-2fff39d7ac3c
ORCID for Nathaniel Baurley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0444-8721
ORCID for Chris Tomsett: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6916-6063
ORCID for Jane Hart: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2348-3944

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 27 Feb 2023 17:36
Last modified: 30 Nov 2024 03:09

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Contributors

Author: Nathaniel Baurley ORCID iD
Author: Chris Tomsett ORCID iD
Author: Jane Hart ORCID iD

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