Do Drone's or Drone Technology exist to allow drones to detect ice thickness? (1 Viewer)

[philhut]

I was thinking today while out walking on a frozen lake and considering the lake closer to my home that is only now starting to freeze that Ice condition reporting could be much more effective. Were I live in Ontario north of Toronto the lake used to freeze allowing for seasonal ice fishing...now that ice fishing is a shorter season and many vehicles and sometimes persons fall through the ice (some never seen again).... I got thinking could a modern drone not be flown over a section of the lake either alone or paired with other drones to map the area and sound ice thickness to create a computer map image of ice thickness on the lake....this type of data could then be posted on a tourism or local website with near up to date information on ice thickness and locations of safe ice to use.

So do drones, or drones with attachments exist that have the ability to sound and map ice depth? if so do you know the name of any of these companies where I could inquire about said device or any other lead to start me on the path to perhaps fund this type of project?

 

[ConsensualPresidency]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/what-would-you-invest-a-million-dollars-in-right-now.67359/

 

[softchewy]

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2017/06/16/how-drones-are-advancing-scientific-research/

Zappa developed six payloads for drones, miniaturizing technology that he previously used on ships or manned aircraft:

• Infrared imaging tells the temperature of any surface, whether ocean, ice or land. The temperature maps help determine rates of exchange between the ocean and atmosphere; the stages of ice growth, melt or refreezing; the temperature of the meltwater relative to ocean water and how sea ice drifts.
• Visible hyperspectral camera can show when ice breaks up and sunlight penetrates, which can influence when phytoplankton blooms occur. Since phytoplankton absorbs solar radiation, this may lead to more ocean heat close to the surface, which can affect ice melt.
• Near infrared hyperspectral imaging shows surface properties, and can reveal the ages of sea ice.

Zappa’s engineer preparing the Broadband Longwave/Shortwave Radiation payload

• Broadband long wave/short wave radiation measures how much solar energy is coming from the sun, how much is absorbed by the surface and how much is reflected back to the atmosphere.
• Meteorological turbulent fluxes measures fluxes of momentum, heat and water vapor over the ocean. This payload also includes LiDAR which can measure ocean waves that break up the ice, and determine how much ice lies out of the water and how thick is is.
• Drone deployed micro-drifter is a soda-can-sized pod ejected from the drone. As it falls, it analyzes the atmosphere for temperature, water vapor and pressure. In the ocean, it becomes a micro-buoy and measures the temperature and salinity of the ocean surface at different depths. The pod conveys atmospheric information in real time back to the drone where it is stored. The ocean data is kept onboard the micro-pod; once it sees the drone, it transmits the information.

Zappa is currently developing sea ice radar that will measure sea ice thickness.