The growing popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), informally known as drones, opened new opportunities for geoscientists to monitor the Earth at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. Geophysicists use UAVs to observe underground features, geologists and geomorphologists utilize drones to carry out detailed survey of Earth's surface, hydrologists apply UAVs to observe water bodies and conduct hydrometric measurements, and meteorologists use drones to measure weather characteristics and air quality. The articles presented in this topical issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics focus on the range of applications of UAVs in geosciences, forming a selection of case studies from different geographic regions. Two papers address the issue of investigating subsurface processes, including magnetic survey and post-explosion imprint on physical terrain. Three articles present examples of high-resolution mapping of landforms, ranging from a highly dynamic aeolian environment to stable granite tors. Water-related problems, covering fluvial geomorphologic and hydrographic studies with the use of UAVs, are solved in other three papers of this topical issue. A number of meteorological variables is investigated in four articles, including UAV-based snow characterization, atmospheric aerosol monitoring and cloudiness. Finally, this book includes two technical reports on both technological and historical aspects of the UAV-assisted research in geosciences. Since this volume of Pure and Applied Geophysics puts an emphasis on case studies on a diverse usage of drones in Earth sciences it may be interesting not only for researchers, but particularly for postgraduate students in geophysics, geology, geography or civil engineering. Practitioners may also find this topical issue useful for implementing the UAV survey as a tool for mitigating the risk of selected geohazards.

Presents the range of applications of UAVs (drones) in Geophysics Includes case studies from different geographic regions Includes two technical reports on UAV-assisted research in Geoscience

Inhalt
Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Geosciences: Introduction.- Aeromagnetic Surveying with a Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aircraft System: A Case Study from a Zinc Deposit in Nash Creek, New Brunswick, Canada.- Detecting Surface Changes from an Underground Explosion in Granite Using Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry.- Applicability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Research on Aeolian Processes.- UAV and SfM in Detailed Geomorphological Mapping of Granite Tors: An Example of Starociskie Skay (Sudetes, SW Poland).- Geovisualisation of Relief in a Virtual Reality System on the Basis of Low-Level Aerial Imagery.- Detection and Mapping of the Geomorphic Effects of Flooding Using UAV Photogrammetry.- Assessment of Riverine Morphology and Habitat Regime Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in a Mediterranean Environment.- Application of Low-Cost Fixed-Wing UAV for Inland Lakes Shoreline Investigation.- Automated Snow Extent Mapping Based on Orthophoto Images from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.- Multitemporal Accuracy and Precision Assessment of Unmanned Aerial System Photogrammetry for Slope-Scale Snow Depth Maps in Alpine Terrain.- UAS as a Support for Atmospheric Aerosols Research: Case Study.- Can Clouds Improve the Performance of Automated Human Detection in Aerial Images?.- Technical Report: Unmanned Helicopter Solution for Survey-Grade Lidar and Hyperspectral Mapping.- Technical Report: The Development and Experience with UAV Research Applications in Former Czechoslovakia (1960s1990s).