Scanning Glaciers with a Long- range Scanner

摘要

A team of scientists recently completed a research visit to Helheim Glacier in Southeast Greenland. The purpose of their research was to characterise the behaviour of the glacier using the latest technology in ground-based remote sensing, a long-range Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). The team monitored the glacier over the course of a few days using a RIEGL VZ-6000 Ultra-Long Range which enabled fixed-time interval scans of the glacier to be completed automatically. This automation gave the team a time-lapse 3D dataset, which can be referred to as a 4D dataset. One of the key breakthroughs was their ability to safely measure the entire width of the glacier from one side of its 6km-wide fjord. Glaciers are some of the most powerful forces on Earth, so the ability to monitor them while remaining at a safe distance is essential.