Sea ice is vital in Alaska. It's used as a hunting platform, protects coastal communities from winter storm and is considered a good measure of a changing climate. UAF Geophysical Institute researchers are testing a drone-mounted tool to measure the depth of sea ice.
Researchers from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute are testing a drone-mounted tool to measure the depth of sea ice.ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sea ice is a vital element to living in western Alaska. It’s used as a hunting platform, protects the coast from erosion, and is considered a good measure of a changing climate. Satellites are able to measure the extent of the sea ice, but measuring its depth sometimes requires a more close-up approach.
“It builds on existing principles, but we’ve made it lightweight enough that we can tow it underneath a relatively small drone, and fly it out over the sea ice,” Mahoney explained, adding that this is still the testing phase. “It allows us to measure sea ice thickness without actually having to go on the sea ice to do so.
An electromagnetic field allows the team to measure the thickness of the ice, Mahoney said, through conductivity of the ocean underneath.
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