Thousands of earthen dams have been built in Russia to create accumulating reservoirs, protect low-lying areas from floods, hydropower and others. Sometimes, due to the presence of underground leaks, erosion of the dam occurs and a breakthrough with catastrophic consequences. Therefore, the task of timely identification of places of underground leaks of earthen dams is urgent. Objective – to show the results of a flight experiment and the practical use of a microwave radiometer mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in order to monitor the condition of an earthen dam in the Voronezh region and the possibility of searching for places of underground leaks. The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the condition of earthen dams. Also, the analysis of the obtained soil moisture maps allows you to determine the locations of possible underground leaks. The results of a flight experiment using a bipolarization microwave radiometer placed on board an unmanned aerial vehicle for remote determination of a portrait of soil moisture can be used to search for places of possible underground leaks. Also, this method of remote measurement of soil moisture can be used for the needs of agriculture, in particular for precision farming systems. In addition, the paper assesses the prospects of using microwave radiometric moisture meters for operational examination of the state of extended hydrological objects.
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