Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 163. The North, with its vast and varied landscapes, sparse population, and cold climate has always challenged its explorers: physically, mentally, logistically, and technically. The scientific community in particular has known such challenges in the past and does so today, especially in light of the projected intensification of climate change at high latitudes. Indeed, there are clear signs that change is already ongoing in many environmental variables: Air temperature and annual precipitation (including snowfall) are increasing in many regions; spring snow cover extent is decreasing; lake and river ice freeze-up dates are occurring later and breakup dates earlier; glaciers are retreating rapidly; permafrost temperatures are increasing and, in many cases, the permafrost is thawing; and sea-ice extent is at record minimums and thinning.

Sponsored by the Committee on Advanced Data Collection and Management Systems of ASCE. This casebook offers examples of civil engineering practices in the acquisition and use of data obtained with advanced aerial and ground-based remote collection systems. The first section deals with remote sensing imagery and data utilization and applications to water resources site and route selection, environmental inventory, land use, and facilities. Specific applications include photobathymetry, landsat imagery, and energy-loss surveys using thermalØinfrared technology. Noncontact and contact data collection and data relay systems are reviewed, along with surface temperature mapping, photogeodesy and hydrologic telemetry from remote areas. The final section presents discussions on data processing and its applications to both data organization and information extension.