Raw Video: Dark Snow by Drones
August 22, 2014
We came back with a boatload of video from 2 types of drone UAV platforms – fixed wing and helo designs.
The fixed wing was very successful in performing look-down measurements of reflectivity following a grid over experimental plots where different types of microbial growth were being observed by biologist Dr. Marek Stibal, and flying “transects” along east and west lines from camp.
The copter was the choice for low level, low wind conditions, especially for following streams and investigating moulins where safety concerns made human eyeballing impossible.
Here are some examples of the different characteristics of the drones. I’m sure to be working these into more fully produced videos in coming months, but I know many readers will appreciate the immediacy of the raw videos.
Climate Denial Crock of the Week 
August 23, 2014 at 4:44 am
Thanks for sharing and bringing Greenland alive, who could imagine that dirty snow and reduced albedo. A strong feedback set in motion.
August 23, 2014 at 6:15 pm
Great videos, but I have a question about the first video, the one taken by the copter. There is a shrp difference between the ice visible on the left and right field of view, with the left side very dirty and the right (on the far side of the moulin) looking relatively pristine. Are you at the junction of two zones/environments/ice masses?
August 24, 2014 at 6:01 pm
slightly higher elevation on the right, more algae growth on the left, conjecture that parts of the picture may have been under lake water that drained off into the nearby moulins.