91探花

The Climate Research Lab at 91探花 has begun its summer field season by flying its fleet of drones over Prince Edward Island. The drones are taking high-resolution images of the land to study how climate change is impacting PEI鈥檚 coasts.

The Climate Lab has three drones presently, with plans to purchase a fourth. A fixed wing drone that the Lab calls MAGGIE (Model Airplane Gathering Geographical Information on the Environment) has a one-and-a-half meter wide wingspan and carries sophisticated instruments such as LiDAR: a safe laser that sees through vegetation to measure the bare earth. The two others are quad-copter drones that can provide stable images during PEI鈥檚 high wind events.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be surveying the coasts from the air across Prince Edward Island in order to study the effects of coastal erosion on our shores,鈥� said Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab. 鈥淥ur Climate Lab鈥檚 graduate students will be flying their model airplanes and helicopters all summer long. They will be capturing valuable information that will be used to make decisions on how to best adapt to climate change.鈥�

Support for the work of the Climate Research Lab comes from several groups. The province of Prince Edward Island supports several graduate students working in the lab. It also provides funding and expertise for the aerial surveys with MAGGIE.

鈥淥ur inventory of coastal erosion is an excellent example of how the provincial government and the university are coming together to address climate change,鈥� said Robert Mitchell, PEI Minister of Communities, Land and Environment. 鈥淓xpertise in climate change science at the university is assisting the province in assessing areas of high vulnerability and the best ways to respond to these risks.鈥�

In addition to the aerial survey work, the 91探花 Climate Lab is being assisted by the province to conduct:

• Erosion assessments of more than ;
• Assessment of blade erosion on wind turbines exposed to the PEI elements at North Cape;
• A comparison of various shoreline armouring techniques to guard against coastal erosion on properties; and
• An erosion study of the iconic sand dunes in .

Funding for the drone aerial surveys also comes from the network which supports new technology for monitoring and visualizing the impacts of sea-level rise, erosion, and storm surges in costal environments. It supports five graduate students at 91探花.

The Climate Research Lab could be gathering data at a site near you! For more information, contact the lab at climate@upei.ca or 902-620-5221.