@article{4e9db3e2dd45409a91b39674607e8ab8,
title = "Assessing the potential of drone-based thermal infrared imagery for quantifying river temperature heterogeneity",
abstract = "Climate change is altering river temperature regimes, modifying the dynamics of temperature-sensitive fishes. The ability to map river temperature is therefore important for understanding the impacts of future warming. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing has proven effective for river temperature mapping, but TIR surveys of rivers remain expensive. Recent drone-based TIR systems present a potential solution to this problem. However, information regarding the utility of these miniaturised systems for surveying rivers is limited. Here, we present the results of several drone-based TIR surveys conducted with a view to understanding their suitability for characterising river temperature heterogeneity. We find that drone-based TIR data are able to clearly reveal the location and extent of discrete thermal inputs to rivers, but thermal imagery suffers from temperature drift-induced bias, which prevents the extraction of accurate temperature data. Statistical analysis of the causes of this drift reveals that drone flight characteristics and environmental conditions at the time of acquisition explain ~66% of the variance in TIR sensor drift. These results shed important light on the factors influencing drone-based TIR data quality and suggest that further technological development is required to enable the extraction of robust river temperature data. Nonetheless, this technology represents a promising approach for augmenting in situ sensor capabilities and improved quantification of advective inputs to rivers at intermediate spatial scales between point measurements and “conventional” airborne or satellite remote sensing.",
keywords = "TIR, climate change, drones, remote sensing, river temperature, temperature heterogeneity, thermal infrared, unoccupied aerial systems",
author = "Dugdale, {Stephen J.} and Kelleher, {Christa A.} and Malcolm, {Iain A.} and Samuel Caldwell and Hannah, {David M.}",
note = "Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sk{\l}odowska‐Curie Grant Agreement No. 702468. IAM's contribution forms part of Marine Scotland Service Level Agreement FW02G. We would like to thank Stephen McLaren, Denise Stirling, Pauline Proudlock, and Ross Glover of Marine Scotland for help with data collection in the Baddoch Burn. We also thank the Invercauld Estate for permission to conduct the sUAS surveys. Syracuse data collection was made possible through funding from the Syracuse Center of Excellence, piloting by Ian Joyce (Syracuse University Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering), and several volunteer visual observers that assisted with each flight. This article benefited from the constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers. Funding Information: European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme (Marie Sk{\l}odowska‐ Curie Actions), Grant/Award Number: 702468; Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering, Syracuse University Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 702468. IAM's contribution forms part of Marine Scotland Service Level Agreement FW02G. We would like to thank Stephen McLaren, Denise Stirling, Pauline Proudlock, and Ross Glover of Marine Scotland for help with data collection in the Baddoch Burn. We also thank the Invercauld Estate for permission to conduct the sUAS surveys. Syracuse data collection was made possible through funding from the Syracuse Center of Excellence, piloting by Ian Joyce (Syracuse University Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering), and several volunteer visual observers that assisted with each flight. This article benefited from the constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 Crown copyright. Hydrological Processes {\textcopyright} 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.",
year = "2019",
month = mar,
day = "30",
doi = "10.1002/hyp.13395",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "33",
pages = "1152--1163",
journal = "Hydrological Processes",
issn = "0885-6087",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
number = "7",
}