SOURCE Canadian Science The use of drones and other unmanned vehicles in research is surging thanks to their unique capacity to collect very high-resolution remote sensing data and samples in a distinctly convenient, timely, unobtrusive and economical fashion. An area where they are proving especially beneficial is in remote Arctic locations where it is otherwise inherently hazardous to conduct conventional aerial or underwater surveys with humans onboard.

Arctic drone applications that have emerged in recent years include wildlife surveys (e.g. seabirds, marine mammals), glaciological research and monitoring, sea ice and other Arctic Ocean monitoring operations, snow depth estimation, habitat mapping and analysis (e.g. tundra landscape, permafrost, vegetation), meteorological and atmospheric measurements, and emergency response (e.g. search and rescue). Beyond aerial drones, other types of unmanned vehicles—including ground rovers, surface vessels and submersibles—are also increasingly being put into use in the Arctic. Despite many successful applications, the characteristically harsh conditions of the far north pose distinct challenges for these typically small and lightweight robotic vehicles, which researchers are still developing innovative ways to cope with.

To showcase these exciting advancements, the Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems(JUVS) and Arctic Science (AS) are joining forces to produce a joint collection on applications of drones in the Arctic.

Papers primarily focused on technological and methodological aspects of using drones for various Arctic applications will be published in JUVS, while those primarily focused on addressing Arctic research questions through the use of drones will be published in Arctic Science.

Submission instructions

• Submission deadline: June 1, 2021.
• Prior to submission, please contact either JUVS (juvs@cdnsciencepub.com) or Arctic Science (arcticscience@cdnsciencepub.com) with your manuscript title and abstract, upon which an assessment will be made as to which journal would be most suitable for submission of your manuscript.
• Carefully follow the instructions to authors for JUVS or Arctic Science when preparing your manuscript for submission.
• Submit your manuscript to JUVS or Arctic Science, making sure to specify at the appropriate step in the submission process that it is intended for the collection on drones in the Arctic.