Most people associate drones with cinematic landscape shots in films. However, they also serve a vital and practical purpose in protecting the planet. These are the game-changing ways experts are using drones for environmental monitoring.
1. High-Resolution Data Collection
Drones use numerous sensor-based technologies, such as thermal, lidar, and multispectral. This diversity allows machinery to gather more information about ecosystems. The data can manifest into visualizations, showing environmental changes over time and delivering greater clarity than manual collection.
Ecological workforces use drones for environmental monitoring to measure the following metrics:
- Air quality and pollution levels
- Deforestation rates
- Urban sprawl
- Glacial melting
- Wildlife populations
This technology observes trends faster than humans, setting conservation and resource management efforts up for success.
2. Accessibility to Remote Areas
Many of Earth’s corners need more visibility. This includes places like Antarctica, which has seen a 134% growth in tourism since the 2010 season. Additional observation on the impact of larger human populations in the area and other remote regions is essential for environmental monitoring.
Many secluded locations are challenging to monitor regularly because they are dangerous or inaccessible to humans. Drones can go anywhere within legal limits, providing oversight professionals have never had before.
This enhanced scope can help researchers and environmentalists navigate future projects. Drones are key for creating new databases on previously unknown parts of the world.
Images and readings provide a deeper understanding of anthropogenic climate change, carbon emissions, and transformations in habitats and species.
3. Rapid Response to Environmental Disasters
Drones can soar above volcanoes, forest fires, and hazardous or contaminated zones. This reach makes it easier to detect and prevent disasters. Eventually, data can become robust enough to reveal patterns that will help mitigate future dangerous events.
Additionally, experts can deploy drones for environmental monitoring during emergencies to assess risk. They can identify the direction of a wildfire’s spread or the most vulnerable infrastructure for rushing floodwaters.
People can also remotely pilot drones and use the information they collect to deploy aid and resources. Around one in 10 individuals globally need greater access to clean water. Responders could use drones to reach those in danger, delivering lifesaving materials faster than ever.
4. Improved Wildlife Monitoring
Animal conservationists, zoologists, and biologists must keep tabs on the species they protect. Drones can be useful for this, especially for tracing endangered species or formerly captive animals following their release back into the wild.
Drones offer an exhilarating way to advance species monitoring because they are noninvasive and keep people out of harm’s way. Researchers in the Galápagos use them to observe Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island where too much interference would damage the homes of the pink iguanas and giant tortoises who live there.
Poaching detection is another benefit of drones. As soon as citizens report activity, teams can send out equipment for surveillance. They can notice shifts in the animals’ behaviors and population dynamics compared to previous surveys. Drones make identifying movement patterns and decreasing numbers more straightforward.
5. Precision Agriculture
The applications of drones in farming and ranching are extensive. Here are a few of the use cases agriculturalists can consider:
- Monitoring animal changes to detect health concerns
- Optimizing resource use
- Boosting crop yields
- Lowering carbon emissions
- Locating invasive species
Soil quality testing is one of the most lucrative ways to leverage drones. Quality soil is critical for accurate crop forecasting and land management. Drones have cameras to see moisture and nutrient changes to better understand the soil hydrological process.
Nations like China are deploying drones to assist with crop spraying. As its senior population ballooned by 42.6 million in the 2010s, fewer people are working in agriculture. Millions also moved away from rural regions where farming is prominent. Drones are the ideal labor supplement to automate intensive tasks.
6. Pollution Monitoring
Air quality monitoring is one of the most apparent advantages of drones. Swarms can track toxins like PM 2.5 or discover the contents of thick smog. This information could prevent public health concerns. Researchers at MIT tested how effective drones were 100 meters above urban areas. The project proved that air quality disproportionately affects low-income communities and more research is necessary to keep them safe.
In addition to traveling effortlessly in the air, drones can observe underwater conditions. They can detect nearby waterways’ pH, temperature, pollutants, and oxygen levels. They can also use sensors to locate microorganisms. Knowing what species are present and their population density is critical since different organisms can create a flourishing ecosystem or manifest harmful algal blooms if neglected.
These capabilities are exciting for communities enduring high pollutant levels. Drones can provide more specific insights about present contaminants and deploy solutions to control them.
The Value of Drones for Environmental Monitoring
Many industries can use drones to protect the planet and its species. From monitoring pollutants to preventing natural disasters, the applications are as creative as the people controlling them. These machines will be one of the most influential technologies in ecological remediation and restoration if people spread more awareness of their potential.
