Case Study: University of Alaska improves glacier flood monitoring with Wingtra drone data

Climate scientists use drone data to monitor glacier lake flooding impact on Alaskan communities

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Climate Adaptation Science Center needed a safer, more efficient way to monitor Suicide Basin, a glacier lake near Juneau that can trigger dangerous outburst floods threatening nearby communities and critical infrastructure. Their challenge was surveying a large, steep, ice-covered area frequently enough to track seasonal changes in water levels behind the Mendenhall Glacier dam. Wingtra provided the WingtraOne VTOL drone to support this glacier monitoring work.

Using WingtraOne with a Sony RX1R II camera and PPK for high-accuracy mapping, the research team captured high-resolution orthophotos and digital elevation models across 3 km in a single 90-minute mission at 3 cm GSD. Wingtra’s solution reduced the need for risky helicopter flights and extensive ground control in difficult terrain, while enabling more frequent surveys and better elevation tracking to help predict flooding risk.

University of Alaska

Gabriel Wolken

Research Professor