The growing popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) informally known as drones opened
new opportunities for geoscientists to monitor the Earth at unprecedented spatial and temporal
resolutions. Geophysicists use UAVs to observe underground features geologists and
geomorphologists utilize drones to carry out detailed survey of Earth's surface hydrologists
apply UAVs to observe water bodies and conduct hydrometric measurements and meteorologists use
drones to measure weather characteristics and air quality. The articles presented in this
topical issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics focus on the range of applications of UAVs in
geosciences forming a selection of case studies from different geographic regions. Two papers
address the issue of investigating subsurface processes including magnetic survey and
post-explosion imprint on physical terrain. Three articles present examples of high-resolution
mapping of landforms ranging from a highly dynamic aeolian environment to stable granite tors.
Water-related problems covering fluvial geomorphologic and hydrographic studies with the use
of UAVs are solved in other three papers of this topical issue. A number of meteorological
variables is investigated in four articles including UAV-based snow characterization
atmospheric aerosol monitoring and cloudiness. Finally this book includes two technical
reports on both technological and historical aspects of the UAV-assisted research in
geosciences. Since this volume of Pure and Applied Geophysics puts an emphasis on case studies
on a diverse usage of drones in Earth sciences it may be interesting not only for researchers
but particularly for postgraduate students in geophysics geology geography or civil
engineering. Practitioners may also find this topical issue useful for implementing the UAV
survey as a tool for mitigating the risk of selected geohazards.
