Peat bogs monitored with UAV aircraft

British scientists have developed a tactic to monitor peat bogs vital to local water quality with unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a University of Exeter press release.

Karen Anderson, an Exeter environmental sciences professor, is using slow-moving, low-flying UAVs to photograph bogs in Exmoor U.K to examine how restoration projects affect their ability to hold water.

The researchers use a QuestUAV Aircraft which takes up to 200 photos during flight.  The images will give the researchers a reference for how plant life and landscape changes when they stop drainage in locations around the bog later this year.

The bog helps maintain water quality by slowing runoff and filtering out nutrients from nearby farming.