On a frozen landscape in Svalbard, Norway, where the glaciers bleed into the Arctic Ocean, a small buzzing drone lifted into the air. Its mission was not surveillance, nor delivery. It was science.
Armed with thermal cameras and spectral sensors, these flying robots can map melting ice, spot hidden algae blooms, and beam back data faster than you can say “climate tipping point.” It’s not just cool tech — it’s a research revolution.
Drones are now a game-changer for science
Drones, once reserved for hobbyists and soldiers, are now the unlikely heroes of modern science. They’re cheap, nimble, and surprisingly powerful. And they’re giving scientists access to the world in ways once thought impossible.
The transformation has been rapid. Ten years ago, most researchers wouldn’t even consider drones as serious tools. Today, they’re indispensable across fields — from archaeology and volcanology to marine biology and precision agriculture.
Drones (technically called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs) solve three old problems in science: access, resolution, and cost. Manned flights are expensive and risky. Satellites lack detail and flexibility. Ground-based surveys take time — and sweat. Drones fill the gap. But the real stunned is in the growing array of sensors that drone can carry.
They carry high-res cameras, LiDAR, thermal imagers, and even gas sensors. They get into tight spots — volcanic craters, jungle canopies, collapsed buildings — without risking a human life. And they can do it again and again for pennies on the dollar. Let’s talk specifics.
A boom for archaeology
LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses pulses of laser light to measure distances with remarkable precision. Imagine it as radar, but with lasers instead of radio waves. Mounted on drones, LiDAR systems fire thousands of laser pulses per second at the ground and measure how long it takes for each pulse to bounce back.
What makes LiDAR extraordinary is its ability to “see” through vegetation. Unlike regular cameras or satellites that capture only the visible surface, LiDAR can penetrate tree canopies and reveal what lies beneath — be it bare earth, subtle topographic changes, or lost ancient structures.
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The technology is particularly good at detecting subtle surface and subsurface features that can indicate the presence of buried archaeological sites. These features may include crop marks (differential vegetation growth over buried structures), soil marks (variations in soil color or texture), or slight topographic anomalies.
This capability has revolutionized archaeological prospection, enabling the rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive survey of vast areas, often leading to the discovery of previously unknown sites. Notable examples include the LiDAR-assisted uncovering of hidden structures within the Casarabe culture in Bolivia and at the Blue J site in New Mexico, as well as revelations at major sites like Angkor Wat and Chichén Itzá.
In fact, UAVs are revealing entire civilizations and networks of cities we didn’t know about, especially in South America.
But it’s not just LiDAR. Data acquired through drone-based photogrammetry (stitching together multiple overlapping photographs) are used to create highly detailed and accurate 3D models, Digital Elevation Models and orthomosaics of archaeological sites and historical structures. Simply put, they’re helping scientists create precise 3D recreations of archaeological sites.
These digital representations serve multiple purposes. They provide a comprehensive record for documentation and archival; they facilitate detailed spatial analysis of site layouts and architectural features; they allow for the monitoring of structural health and degradation over time; and they inform conservation and restoration planning. This approach offers invaluable tools for cultural heritage preservation, enabling virtual reconstructions for research and public engagement, all while minimizing impact on fragile sites.
But archaeology is just the tip of the iceberg.
Precision farming
You could argue, to an extent, that the benefits that archaeology provides to us as society, are limited. Maybe you want to get prosaic about it and only look at practical, impactful solutions. Well, what’s more impactful than agriculture?
Drones are at the forefront of the precision agriculture revolution, providing farmers and agricultural researchers with tools to monitor crops and manage resources with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. Here, the magic is done by multispectral cameras.
These cameras on drones capture images in specific wavelengths of light — often including visible bands like red, green, and blue, as well as invisible bands such as near-infrared or red edge. As the drone flies over an area, it collects light reflected from surfaces like plants, soil, or water across each band. Because different materials reflect and absorb light differently at various wavelengths, scientists can use this data to detect features the human eye can’t see — like early signs of crop stress, water pollution, or plant disease. By analyzing the contrast between spectral bands, researchers can generate detailed maps showing plant health, land cover types, or environmental changes with high accuracy.
“We can collect hundreds of spectral channels (or colors) and then distill the problem into a handful of channels that are necessary to estimate, say nitrogen levels, and then design an operational solution for a farmer or service provider to assess the nutrients,” says Professor Jan van Aardt from the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science. “We’ll also look at what the flight parameters should look like — what time of year we should fly, how frequently, how fast, what the pixel size should be, and so on.”
This capability enables early and targeted interventions — such as precise application of fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation — which optimize resource use, improve crop yields, and reduce the overall environmental impact of farming operations. For instance, one study reported a 52% reduction in herbicide use through drone-assisted weed detection. They can also reduce fertilizer use by a third.
Drones can also assist by mapping soil properties like moisture or organic matter. You can see which parts of the field need fertilizing or how you can optimize irrigation.
This only works because drones have also become cheaper. If they were too expensive, it wouldn’t make much sense for farmers to deploy them. But as useful drones have become relatively affordable, even small-scale farmers can sometimes afford precision-based approaches. In fact, drones help many farmers save money (with added benefits for the environment).
Environmental sciences
You could write entire books on how drones are helping environmental researchers. Actually, people did write entire books.
For starters, they’re useful for conducting surveys of diverse animal populations. From fur seals and polar bears to bird colonies and marine mammals, drones offer an unprecedented view of animals living in remote environments. Duke University drones recently showed that gray seals are returning to the New England and Canadian coasts due to conservation efforts. They’re also useful for tracking migration patterns with minimal disturbance to the animals.
In forestry, drones equipped with multispectral and hyperspectral sensors are invaluable for assessing forest health. They can identify early signs of disease or pest infestation, mapping areas of deforestation, and monitoring the progress of reforestation initiatives. Deforestation (particularly illegal deforestation) is notoriously difficult to track, and drones are an invaluable tool.
But it’s not just monitoring; it’s also planting. Drones can spray seeds in areas that are difficult to access manually, and at great speeds. This capability makes it possible not just to track illegal logging, but also fight it with reforestation.
Of course, climate researchers have also benefited greatly from the rise of drones. In addition to things like forests and soil mapping, which can help create better models, drones can be used to measure coastal erosion rates, observe ice thaw, and track shifts in vegetation patterns. Satellites also offer useful data, but the resolution is much better for drones. For example, drones can map glacial surface temperatures and the influx of freshwater into marine environments, providing insights into cryospheric responses to warming.
“The drones do not mind the cold — in the summer Iceland is typically 10 to 14 degrees Celsius — and we added a release mechanism to give us control to let go of the thin rope carrying the sensor once it was safely placed on the ice. The sensor’s battery is solar charged so will not work under zero degrees, so we’ve been busy positioning the sensors before winter arrives,” notes Jane K. Hart of Southampton University, emphasizing the importance of studying glaciers in detail.
“Glaciers are like the canaries as they provide us with a warning sign for climate change. The sensors we are landing on the glaciers provide a new way of observing their behaviour.
Monitoring and studying geological hazards
Drones have become essential tools for studying and responding to geohazards — natural events like landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and coastal erosion that can endanger lives and infrastructure. Their ability to fly low and maneuver over unstable or inaccessible terrain allows scientists to safely monitor dangerous zones in real time. For example, drones can map active landslide areas with centimeter-level accuracy using photogrammetry and LiDAR, helping to assess movement rates and failure risks.
In coastal regions, repeated drone flights capture erosion patterns and shoreline retreat, feeding data into predictive models used for hazard mitigation. During or after earthquakes, drones can rapidly assess damage to buildings, bridges, and roads, offering emergency teams a clear picture of where help is needed most.
In volcanology, drones are deployed to fly directly into gas plumes and near craters — missions too risky for humans. Outfitted with gas sensors and thermal cameras, they measure emissions like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, track temperature changes, and observe eruptive activity from safe distances. This data helps scientists anticipate eruptions and issue timely warnings.
Einat Lev, a Lamont assistant research professor, studies volcanoes with the aim to improve eruption hazard assessments and predictions.
“The biggest advantage of using drones is that they can take you places that are very difficult to get to . . . We couldn’t map the structure of the lava flows in Iceland in the interior part of it because it was just too difficult to reach, and the drone just flies above and gets us that data,” said Lev in a video about her work.
In earthquake-prone or mountainous regions, drones are also used to inspect cracks in cliffs, monitor rockfalls, and model ground deformation over time. What once required helicopters, high costs, and considerable danger can now be done quickly, cheaply, and with astonishing detail — all thanks to a buzzing robot in the sky.
Why it matters so much
It’s not all sunshine, and there’s plenty to discuss about drone ethics as well. Privacy is a serious concern — wildlife disturbance is another. Even the quietest drones can stress animals if used carelessly. The tech itself isn’t perfect. Batteries die fast. Weather can ground flights. Managing massive datasets — often terabytes per project — is a logistical headache. But if used properly, drones are a game-changer.
It’s not just the different types of science you can do with them. Drones are changing the scale of science. They turn one-off field visits into continuous monitoring. They replace guesswork with hard data. And they save time, money, and sometimes, lives.
And they’re doing it globally — on farms, in cities, over oceans, and deep in the wilderness. In the hands of scientists, students, and citizen observers, drones are becoming a kind of planetary nervous system.
The scientific method just got some new wings; and it’s using them with great results.
