Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) give researchers the ability to fly long distances over the treacherous conditions of melting glacial ice for less than it would cost to operate piloted helicopters or airplanes. They can also provide better resolution than satellite imagery, says Jonathan C. Ryan of Aberystwyth University, who used a UAV to get the view of Greenland’s Store Glacier shown Credit: Jonathan Ryan/Aberystwyth University
Ryan poses with one of several drones his team brought to Greenland. “If you lose one, it’s not the end of the world. But it is annoying,” Ryan says. “At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the data.” Credit: Jonathan Ryan/Aberystwyth University
Guy D. Williams of the University of Tasmania was part of a crew using multirotor copters observe the sea ice floes in Arctic climes shown here. Although melting glacial ice contributes to sea-level rise, melting sea ice provides an early warning of when large-scale change may be coming, Williams says. Credit: G. Williams/A. Fraser/E. Cougnon/U.S. Antarctic Program/NSF
Drones like this one are currently collecting valuable photographic data, but Williams is also excited about other information drones might soon gather. For instance, companies are developing drones that can land on and take off from water, enabling the collection of seawater samples. "There’s a lot of interesting trace-metal chemistry in the surface of the polar ocean,” Williams says. Credit: G. Williams/A. Fraser/E. Cougnon/U.S. Antarctic Program/NSF
Check out this drone footage put together by Williams from an expedition to observe sea ice in
the Arctic. Credit: G. Williams
Roughly 18,000 meters above sea level, drones are also helping researchers track severe weather in real time. A Global Hawk drone snapped this photo above Tropical Storm Frank in 2010. Credit: NASA/NOAA
This Global Hawk once flew for the military, but it’s now part of a pilotless fleet helping protect people
and property by improving researchers' ability to predict how the strength of hurricanes and tropical storms evolve, says Joseph J. Cione of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Credit: NASA
Here, Cione holds a Coyote drone. These craft have flown directly into hurricanes to observe the interface
of storm and sea, but they were developed by the Navy to hunt subs. “People hear the word ‘drone,’ and they roll their eyes,” Cione says. "But this is a great example of how to transfer military tech to civilian use." Credit: NOAA