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This dataset contains orthomosaics, digital surface models (DSMs), and multispectral image composites for nine Arctic Beaver Observation Network (ABON) sites surveyed in August 2024. The data were collected to support research on the impacts of beaver engineering on tundra hydrology, vegetation, and permafrost dynamics across Arctic Alaska. Drone-based imagery was acquired using a DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral quadcopter equipped with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station for real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning. At each site, flight missions were conducted at 120 meters (m) above ground level with 80% along-track and 70% across-track overlap, using a nadir-oriented camera (90°) and the hover-and-capture-at-point mode. The resulting products include: (1) (Red, Green, Blue) RGB orthomosaics with a ground sampling distance of 5 centimeters (cm), (2) Digital Surface Models (DSMs) with 10 cm spatial resolution, and (3) multispectral composites (green, red, red edge, near-infrared bands) at 10 cm resolution. Radiometric calibration was performed using images of a MicaSense calibrated reflectance panel, and a Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North. All images were processed in Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.10.0). Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. These high-resolution datasets provide baseline observations of beaver pond morphology and vegetation dynamics, enabling long-term monitoring of ecosystem changes driven by beaver activity in Arctic tundra landscapes. 

### Access Data files can be accessed and downloaded from the directory via: [https://arcticdata.io/data/10.18739/A2M03Z00G](https://arcticdata.io/data/10.18739/A2M03Z00G) ### Overview Emergence of beavers as ecosystem engineers in the New Arctic project focuses on establishing field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on ecosystems. We established three game camera sites at beaver-impacted streams on the Baldwin Peninsula from August 2023-April 2024. We aimed to collect information regarding ice formation phenology, overflow dynamics, and wildlife interactions. Two cameras were deployed adjacent to beaver dams, and another was deployed at a "control" site in a part of a stream that remains unimpacted by beavers. Cameras were set in a hybrid setting, collecting images through timelapse and trigger settings. Two cameras (Moultrie brand) lost power in early December, and one (Bushnell brand) maintained power over the entire study period. Cameras captured ice formation dynamics in early fall, as well as a series of overflow events. From this rudimentary data set, we did not detect differences in ice formation between ponds and the control site. We were also able to detect a dam bursting event following an August rain storm, which beavers did not repair before winter. Cameras captured a variety of wildlife, including red foxes, moose, brown bears, Canada geese, green-winged teal, and, of course, beavers. 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of an orthomosaic and digital surface model (DSM) derived from drone surveys on 07 August 2023 at the Kotzebue B South site on the Baldwin Peninsula, Alaska. 121 digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 22 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.9.0) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of an orthomosaic and digital surface model (DSM) derived from drone surveys on 07 August 2023 at the Kotzebue B East site site on the Baldwin Peninsula, Alaska. 374 digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 63 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.9.0) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of an orthomosaic and digital surface model (DSM) derived from drone surveys on 07 August 2023 at the Kotzebue B West site on the Baldwin Peninsula, Alaska. 1,069 digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 165 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.9.0) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of an orthomosaic and digital surface model (DSM) derived from drone surveys on 08 August 2023 at the Kotzebue 3 site on the Baldwin Peninsula, Alaska. 525 digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 82 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.9.0) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Oblique, geotagged aerial photos are being acquired to establish a baseline of the presence/absence of beavers in prominent river valleys of the Central Brooks Range in Alaska. On 01 July 2024, we contracted with Coyote Air out of Coldfoot on a ~4 hour flight through the North Fork of the Koyukuk, Alatna, and John Rivers. The Cessna 185 flew around 1500 to 2000 feet above ground level while a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) Nikon camera connected to a Global Positioning System (GPS). We focused on capturing images of waterbodies that were later used to determine the apparent presence/absence of beavers along the flight route. A KMZ file was created with the geotagged photos and is included in this dataset here. We have also identified the apparent presence/absence of beaver activity (dam, lodge, etc.) in each frame and included this a geojson file and an interpreted map image. 

The Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON): Tracking a new disturbance regime project observes beaver engineering across circumarctic treeline and tundra environments during the last half-century by mapping and tracking beaver ponds using remote sensing imagery. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of orthomosaic images and digital surface models (DSMs) derived from drone surveys on 02 April and 09 April 2024 for three beaver dam and beaver pond sites (Kotz3, BWest, and BEast) on the Baldwin Peninsula, Alaska. Digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.8.4) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information represents the snow-covered surface. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

Emergence of beavers as ecosystem engineers in the New Arctic project focuses on establishing field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of an orthomosaic and digital surface model (DSM) derived from drone surveys on 04 August 2021 at the Upper Nome River, MP31, site on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. 248 digital images were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 44 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and flight speeds varied from 8-9 meters/second (m/s). The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.7.5) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the orthophoto mosaic and digital surface model at spatial resolutions of 5 and 10 centimeters (cm), respectively. Elevation information derived over waterbodies is noisy and does not represent the surface elevation of the feature. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North in Ellipsoid Heights (meters). 

Emergence of beavers as ecosystem engineers in the New Arctic project focuses on establishing field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost. Drones are being used to collect baseline data and track beaver dam building and pond evolution over time. This dataset consists of a multispectral orthomosaic derived from drone surveys on 04 August 2021 at the Upper Nome River, MP31, site on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. 1500 digital images from five spectral bands were acquired from a DJI Phantom 4 Real-Time Kinematic (DJI P4RTK) quadcopter with a DJI D-RTK 2 Mobile Base Station. The mapped area was around 25 hectares (ha). The drone system was flown at 120 meters (m) above ground level (agl) and images were captured using the hover and capture at point mode. The orientation of the camera was set to 90 degrees (i.e. looking straight down). The along-track overlap and across-track overlap of the mission were set at 80% and 70%, respectively. All images were processed in the software Pix4D Mapper (v. 4.6.4) using the standard 3D Maps workflow and the accurate geolocation and orientation calibration method to produce the multispectral orthophoto mosaic at a spatial resolution of 10 centimeters (cm). Images of a MicaSense calibrated reflectance panel were used for radiometric processing and calibration of each spectral band in the Index Calculator in Pix4D. A Leica Viva differential global positioning system (GPS) provided ground control for the mission and the data were post-processed to WGS84 UTM Zone 3 North.