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Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies

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A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensing in Geology, Geomorphology and Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 37009

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Dr. Shuhua Yi

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Guest Editor

1. Institute of fragile eco-environment, Nantong University, 999 Tongjing Road, Nantong 226007, China
2. School of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, 999 Tongjing Road, Nantong 226007, China
Interests: UAV application; ecosystem modeling; remote sensing; plateau pika; alpine grassland; boreal forest; arctic tundra; permafrost; carbon cycling

Dr. Go Iwahana

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International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Interests: geocryology; geochemistry; remote sensing; permafrost

Dr. Yu Qin

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: UAV applications; plateau pika; alpine grassland; permafrost; carbon cycling; biodiversity

Dr. Yi Sun

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Guest Editor

1. Institute of Fragile Eco-Environment, Nantong University, 999 Tongjing Road, Nantong 226007, China
2. School of Geography Sciences, Nantong University, 999 Tongjing Road, Nantong 226007, China
Interests: UAV application; grazing management; rangeland; plateau pika; alpine grassland; biodiversity; nutrient cycle; animal behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have developed rapidly due to the miniaturization of parts and the low cost of various sensors, and embedded computers and have become a popular, low-cost platform for ecological and environmental studies. This platform is especially valuable for harsh environments, for example, the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and the Arctic. UAVs also have the flowing advantages: (1) high spatial and temporal resolution when compared with satellite remote sensing; (2) high efficiency, large ground coverage, and non-destruction when compared with ground sampling; and (3) as a bridge between satellites for remote sensing and ground sampling. With these advantages, UAVs have been applied to investigate the vegetation cover, biomass, patch, yak, plateau pika, gravel, and biodiversity, etc., of cold regions over the recent years.

For this special issue, we seek articles on the application of UAVs in, but not limited to, cold region ecology and environment, at various spatial scales, from quadratic to plot and regional scale. Articles on the applications of UAV in permafrost and periglacial environments are especially welcome.

Dr. Shuhua Yi
Dr. Go Iwahana
Dr. Yu Qin
Dr. Yi Sun
Guest Editors

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Keywords

UAV cold region
ecology
environment
biodiversity
grazing
herbivores
rangeland

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 158 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies

by Shuhua Yi, Go Iwahana, Yu Qin and Yi Sun

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(13), 2472; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132472 - 24 Jun 2021

Viewed by 1527

Abstract

Lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been developed rapidly due to the miniaturization of aircraft components and the low cost of various sensors, as well as embedded computers, and have become a commonly used platform for ecological and environmental studies [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

Research

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26 pages, 14610 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detailed Characterization and Monitoring of a Retrogressive Thaw Slump from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and Identifying Associated Influence on Carbon and Nitrogen Export

by Kevin W. Turner, Michelle D. Pearce and Daniel D. Hughes

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020171 - 6 Jan 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4649

Abstract

Ice-rich permafrost landscapes are sensitive to ongoing changes in climate. Permafrost retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) represent one of the more abrupt and prolonged disturbances, which occur along Arctic river and lake shorelines. These features impact local travel and infrastructure, and there are many questions regarding associated impacts on biogeochemical cycling. Predicting the duration and magnitude of impacts requires that we enhance our knowledge of RTS geomorphological drivers and rates of change. Here we demonstrate the utility of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for documenting the volumetric change, associated drivers and potential impacts of the largest active RTS along the Old Crow River in Old Crow Flats, Yukon, Canada. RPAS surveys revealed that 29,174 m³ of sediment was exported during the initial evacuation in June 2016 and an additional 18,845 m³ continued to be exported until June 2019. More sediment export occurred during the warmer 2017 summer that experienced less cumulative rainfall than summer 2018. However, several rain events during 2017 were of higher intensity than during 2018. Overall mean soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) within sampled thaw slump sediment was 1.36% and 0.11%, respectively. A combination of multispectral, thermal and irradiance (derived from the RPAS digital surface model) data provided detailed classification of thaw slump floor terrain types including raised dry clay lobes, shaded and relatively stable, and low-lying evacuation-prone sediments. Notably, the path of evacuation-prone sediments extended to a series of ice wedges in the northern headwall, where total irradiance was highest. Using thaw slump floor mean SOC and TN values in conjunction with sediment bulk density and thaw slump fill volume, we estimated that 713 t SOC and 58 t TN were exported to the Old Crow River during the three-year study. Findings showcase the utility of high-resolution RPAS datasets for refining our knowledge of thaw slump geomorphology and associated impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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15 pages, 11799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Patchiness on Surface Soil Moisture of Alpine Meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: Implications for Grassland Restoration

by Wei Zhang, Shuhua Yi, Yu Qin, Yi Sun, Donghui Shangguan, Baoping Meng, Meng Li and Jianguo Zhang

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(24), 4121; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12244121 - 16 Dec 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2810

Abstract

Surface soil moisture (SSM) is a key limiting factor for vegetation growth in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Patches with various sizes and types may cause the redistribution of SSM by changing soil hydrological processes, and then trigger or accelerate alpine grassland degradation. Therefore, it is vital to understand the effects of patchiness on SSM at multi-scales to provide a reference for alpine grassland restoration. However, there is a lack of direct observational evidence concerning the role of the size and type of patches on SSM, and little is known about the effects of patches pattern on SSM at plot scale. Here, we first measured SSM of typical patches with different sizes and types at patch scale and investigated their patterns and SSM spatial distribution through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-mounted multi-type cameras at plot scale. We then analyzed the role of the size and type of patchiness on SSM at both patch and plot scales. Results showed that: (1) in situ measured SSM of typical patches was significantly different (P < 0.01), original vegetation patch (OV) had the highest SSM, followed by isolate vegetation patch (IV), small bare patch (SP), medium bare patch (MP) and large bare patch (LP); (2) the proposed method based on UAV images was able to estimate SSM (0–40 cm) with a satisfactory accuracy (R² = 0.89, P < 0.001); (3) all landscape indices of OV, with the exception of patch density, were positively correlated with SSM at plot scale, while most of the landscape indices of LP and IV showed negative correlations (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that patchiness intensified the spatial heterogeneity of SSM and potentially accelerated the alpine meadow degradation. Preventing the development of OV into IV and the expansion of LP is a critical task for alpine meadow management and restoration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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22 pages, 6514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Patch Pattern and Ecological Risk Assessment of Alpine Grassland in the Source Region of the Yellow River

by Jia Liu, Jianjun Chen, Qiaoting Qin, Haotian You, Xiaowen Han and Guoqing Zhou

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(20), 3460; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12203460 - 21 Oct 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3065

Abstract

The source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is an important water conservation and animal husbandry resource in China. It is of great significance to understand the patch pattern and ecological risk of alpine grassland in the SRYR for ecological environment management. This study first used 12 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial images and eight moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation index product MOD13Q1 images from July to August in 2019 to extract alpine grassland patch patterns in the SRYR, then constructed an ecological risk model based on the landscape vulnerability index and landscape disturbance index, and finally combined spatial self-reliance correlation and semi-variance analysis methods to explore the spatial distribution of ecological risks. The results showed that the patch fragmentation degree (Pi), area weighted shape index (AWMSI), and separation degree (Si) of the four grassland types in the SRYR are ordered as follows: alpine steppe > degraded meadow > alpine meadow > swamp meadow. Moreover, the greater the fractional vegetation cover (FVC), the greater the landscape dominance index (DO_i), and the better the ecosystem stability. The spatial difference of ecological risk in the SRYR shows a situation of low risk in the east (ERI_min=1.5355) and high risk in the west (ERI_max= 70.6429). High FVC was found in low and mild low risk areas where the vegetation types are mainly swamp meadow and shrub, while low FVC was found in high and mild high-risk areas where the vegetation types are mainly alpine steppe and degraded meadow. The spatial distribution of ecological risk of the SRYR has obvious positive spatial correlation (Moran's I = 0.863), the spatial aggregation distribution is distinct, and the local space has significant high-high aggregation and low–low aggregation phenomena. The results of this study reveal that patch characteristics have good indicative significance for alpine grassland ecological protection and should be considered in future studies. In addition, the ecological risk in the SRYR is relatively high, especially in the western region, which should be taken seriously in future ecological management and governance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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15 pages, 2532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Summer Mass Balance and Surface Velocity Derived by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on Debris-Covered Region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1, Yulong Snow Mountain

by Yanjun Che, Shijin Wang, Shuhua Yi, Yanqiang Wei and Yancong Cai

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(20), 3280; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12203280 - 9 Oct 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3955

Abstract

Glacier retreat is a common phenomenon in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) with global warming during the past several decades, except for several mountains, such as the glaciers in the Karakoram and the western Kunlun Mountains. The dynamic nature of glaciers significantly influences the hydrologic, geologic, and ecological systems in the mountain regions. The sensitivity and dynamic response to climate change make glaciers excellent indicators of regional and global climate change, such as glacier melting and retreat with the rise of local air temperature. Long-term monitoring of glacier change is important to understand and assess past, current, and possible future climate environments. Some glacier surfaces are safe and accessible by foot, and are monitored using mass balance stakes and snow pits. Meanwhile, some glaciers with inaccessible termini may be surveyed using satellite remote images and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Those inaccessible glaciers are generally covered by debris in the southeast QTP, which is hardly accessible due to the wide distribution of crevasses and cliffs. In this paper, we used the UAV to monitor the dynamic features of mass balance and velocity of the debris-covered region of Baishui River Glacier No. 1 (BRG1) on the Yulong Snow Mountain (YSM), Southeast QTP. We obtained the Orthomosaic and DEM with a high resolution of 0.10 m on 20 May and 22 September 2018, respectively. The comparison showed that the elevation of the debris-covered region of the BRG1 decreased by 6.58 m ± 3.70 m on average, and the mean mass balance was −5.92 m w.e. ± 3.33 m w.e. during the summer, correspondingly. The mean displacement of debris-covered glacier surface was 18.30 m ± 6.27 m, that is, the mean daily velocity was 0.14 m/d ± 0.05 m/d during the summer. In addition, the UAV images not only revealed the different patterns of glacier melting and displacement but also captured the phenomena of mass loss due to ice avalanches at the glacier front and the development of large crevasses. This study provides a feasible method for understanding the dynamic features of global debris-covered glaciers which are inaccessible and unobservable by other means. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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21 pages, 6106 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Species Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Reveal the Ecological Role of Plateau Pika in Maintaining Vegetation Diversity on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

by Yu Qin, Yi Sun, Wei Zhang, Yan Qin, Jianjun Chen, Zhiwei Wang and Zhaoye Zhou

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(15), 2480; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12152480 - 3 Aug 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4504

Abstract

Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae, hereafter pika) is considered to exert a profound impact on vegetation species diversity of alpine grasslands. Great efforts have been made at mound or quadrat scales; nevertheless, there is still controversy about the effect of pika. It is vital to monitor vegetation species composition in natural heterogeneous ecosystems at a large scale to accurately evaluate the real role of pika. In this study, we performed field survey at 55 alpine grassland sites across the Shule River Basin using combined methods of aerial photographing using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and traditional ground measurement. Based on our UAV operation system, Fragmentation Monitoring and Analysis with aerial Photography (FragMAP), aerial images were acquired. Plot-scale vegetation species were visually identified, and total pika burrow exits were automatically retrieved using the self-developed image processing software. We found that there were significant linear relationships between the vegetation species diversity indexes obtained by these two methods. Additionally, the total number of identified species by the UAV method was 71, which was higher than the Quadrat method recognition, with the quantity of 63. Our results indicate that the UAV was suitable for long-term repeated monitoring vegetation species composition of multiple alpine grasslands at plot scale. With the merits of UAV, it confirmed that pika’s disturbance belonged to the medium level, with the density ranging from 30.17 to 65.53 ha⁻¹. Under this density level, pika had a positive effect on vegetation species diversity, particularly for the species richness of sedge and forb. These findings conclude that the UAV was an efficient and economic tool for species monitoring to reveal the role of pika in the alpine grasslands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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22 pages, 6236 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping Glacier Forelands Based on UAV BVLOS Operation in Antarctica

by Maciej Dąbski, Anna Zmarz, Mirosław Rodzewicz, Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire, Izabela Karsznia, Katarzyna Lach, Grzegorz Rachlewicz and Katarzyna Chwedorzewska

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(4), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12040630 - 14 Feb 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5616

Abstract

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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22 pages, 9041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Risk Assessment and Impact Factor Analysis of Alpine Wetland Ecosystem Based on LUCC and Boosted Regression Tree on the Zoige Plateau, China

by Mengjing Hou, Jing Ge, Jinlong Gao, Baoping Meng, Yuanchun Li, Jianpeng Yin, Jie Liu, Qisheng Feng and Tiangang Liang

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(3), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030368 - 22 Jan 2020

Cited by 87 | Viewed by 5840

Abstract

The Zoige Plateau is typical of alpine wetland ecosystems worldwide, which play a key role in regulating global climate and ecological balance. Due to the influence of global climate change and intense human activities, the stability and sustainability of the ecosystems associated with the alpine marsh wetlands are facing enormous threats. It is important to establish a precise risk assessment method to evaluate the risks to alpine wetlands ecosystems, and then to understand the influencing factors of ecological risk. However, the multi-index evaluation method of ecological risk in the Zoige region is overly focused on marsh wetlands, and the smallest units of assessment are relatively large. Although recently developed landscape ecological risk assessment (ERA) methods can address the above limitations, the final directionality of the evaluation results is not clear. In this work, we used the landscape ERA method based on land use and land cover changes (LUCC) to evaluate the ecological risks to an alpine wetland ecosystem from a spatial pixel scale (5 km × 5 km). Furthermore, the boosted regression tree (BRT) model was adopted to quantitatively analyze the impact factors of ecological risk. The results show the following: (1) From 1990 to 2016, the land use and land cover (LULC) types in the study area changed markedly. In particular, the deep marshes and aeolian sediments, and whereas construction land areas changed dramatically, the alpine grassland changed relatively slowly. (2) The ecological risk in the study area increased and was dominated by regions with higher and moderate risk levels. Meanwhile, these areas showed notable spatio-temporal changes, significant spatial correlation, and a high degree of spatial aggregation. (3) The topographic distribution, climate changes and human activities influenced the stability of the study area. Elevation (23.4%) was the most important factor for ecological risk, followed by temperature (16.2%). Precipitation and GDP were also seen to be adverse factors affecting ecological risk, at levels of 13.0% and 12.1%, respectively. The aim of this study was to provide more precise and specific support for defining conservation objectives, and ecological management in alpine wetland ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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18 pages, 22798 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Breeding Colony Dynamics of Southern Elephant Seals at Patelnia Point, King George Island, Antarctica

by Katarzyna Fudala and Robert Józef Bialik

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(18), 2964; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12182964 - 11 Sep 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4080 | Correction

Abstract

During the 2019 breeding season (October-December), a battery-powered DIJ Inspire 2 drone was used to investigate a breeding southern elephant seal colony located at Patelnia Point (ASPA 128, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctica). Twelve unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions conducted 50–70 m above ground level (AGL) were completed to monitor the breeding ground with a maximum of 0.348 km². The missions were planned in Pix4D Capture software. A drone, with the support of ground cameras and observations, was used to derive population counts, map harems, and track the phenology of the southern elephant seals. Based on data obtained from the UAV missions, orthophotomaps were created in PIX4D Mapper and then analyzed in QGIS. Calculated values of body size parameters such as body length and orthogonal body surface area were used to determine the age and sex of individuals. Analysis of the ranges of the harems on particular days, supported by an analysis of land conditions that generate physical barriers to the movement of animals, allowed zones in which the transformations of groups of harems took place to be determined. The hypothesized hermeticity of the designated zones was supported by statistical tests. The use of drones allows for comprehensive population analyses of the breeding colonies of elephant seals such as censuses of pups and adult individuals, determination of the sex ratio, and spatial analysis of the distribution of breeding formations. In addition, it allows for a more accurate result than ground counting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of UAVs in Cold Region Ecological and Environmental Studies)

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