Sun2ice aims to investigate the broad potential of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for long range and endurance surveying of Cryospheric regions. In the recent years, Arctic researchers have begun using UAVs for activities such as aerial mapping of glaciers. However, UAVs with the range to cover large areas on the size/scale of Greenland and Antarctica are typically large and complex to operate. Smaller, more manageable drones suffer from the lack of flight time and area coverage

The Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) at ETH Zurich has pioneered the development and practical application of hand-launchable, solar-powered UAVs, capable of flying for multiple days at low altitudes. Working together with ETH Zurich's Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Glaciology (VAW), the integrated Sun2ice project has worked towards utilizing this new, experimental solar-powered technology towards the aerial mapping of glacial areas, with a special focus on calving glaciers. The data gathered from such missions contribute to the understanding of iceberg calving processes, and consequently help to model glacier evolution and sea level rise affecting the globe as a result of climate change.