This study presents the first high-resolution orthophoto maps and digital surface models (DSMs) of the largest Argentine Islands, West Antarctica. Aerial surveys with small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were performed in Austral summer, 2018, taking 10,041 aerial photographs. Accuracy requirements were ensured using ground control points (GCPs). A resolution of 3.4 and 6.8 cm/px of orthomosaics and DSMs is reached on average, and the RMS reprojection error is 0.22 m on average. We report the morphometric parameters of surveyed islands and discuss issues related to accuracy and the usage of UAVs in polar conditions. This study demonstrates that small and low cost UAVs can be successfully used in harsh polar conditions to obtain accurate orthomosaics and DSMs of mainly glaciated terrain. We provide all generated materials in full resolution available in a scientific data repository that could be used for the monitoring of ice cap changes, vegetation cover, and wildlife populations.

Although measurements of thickness and internal structure of glaciers are substantial for the understanding of their evolution and response to climate change, detailed data about polythermal glaciers, are scarce. Here, we present the first ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurement data of Irenebreen, and high-resolution DEM and orthomosaic, obtained from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. A combination of GPR and UAV data allowed for the reconstruction of the glacier geometry including thermal structure. We compare different methods of GPR signal propagation speed determination and argue that a common midpoint method (CMP) should be used if possible. Our observations reveal that Irenebreen is a polythermal glacier with a basal temperate ice layer, the volume of which volume reaches only 12% of the total glacier volume. We also observe the intense GPR signal scattering in two small zones in the ablation area and suggest that intense water percolation occurs in these places creating local areas of temperate ice. This finding emphasizes the possible formation of localised temperate ice zones in polythermal glaciers due to the coincidence of several factors. Our study demonstrates that a combination of UAV photogrammetry and GPR can be successfully applied and should be used for the high-resolution reconstruction of 3D geometries of small glaciers.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly used in glaciology demonstrating their potential for the generation of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) that can be further used for the evaluation of glacial processes in detail. Such investigations are especially important for the evaluation of surface changes of small valley glaciers, which are not well-represented in lower-resolution satellite-derived products. In this study, we performed two UAV surveys at the end of the ablation season in 2019 and 2021 on Waldemarbreen, a High-Arctic glacier in NW Svalbard. We derived the mean annual glacier surface velocity of 5.3 m. The estimated mean glacier surface elevation change from 2019 to 2021 was −1.46 m a⁻¹ which corresponds to the geodetic mass balance (MB) of −1.33 m w.e. a⁻¹. The glaciological MB for the same period was −1.61 m w.e. a⁻¹. Our survey includes all Waldemarbreen and demonstrates the efficiency of high-resolution DEMs produced from UAV photogrammetry for the reconstruction of changes in glacier surface elevation and velocity. We suggest that glaciological and geodetic MB methods should be used complementary to each other.