EMILE HOLBA
Arctic DronePort Project Expansion: Media Coverage 


Arctic DronePort’s MRB5 UVA armed and ready for its inaugural flight across Ilulissat Kangerlua (Ilulissat Icefjord). The vehicle performed brilliantly throughout the week of testing and exceeded team expectations.
Arctic DronePort team member James Howling flying a 7” FPV Drone (First Person View) whilst accompanying scientists collecting CTDs (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) measurements in Ilulissat Kangerlua.
As a photographer specialising in portrait and long-term documentary work, I’m fascinated by communities, creative arts, the cosmos, scientific endeavours, and the complexities of climate change. I like my work to emphasise the significance of place, and I’m always mindful of the often-hidden subtext behind a picture’s subject focus and its narrative significance when photographed as part of a story.

I was fortunate to be invited by Professor Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu to accompany the ArcticDrone Port project’s recent field testing in Ilulissat, Greenland. Kerim and I have collaborated for a decade in both Norway and Greenland, and he recognised the potential for high-quality documentation of the ArcticDrone Port project.

Collaborating with Mathieu Johnson and his team for a week provided me with a comprehensive understanding of Arctic DronePort’s design principles and technical prowess. The team’s commitment to offering scientists with genuinely affordable and dependable aerial imagery data collected by the multi-sensor Arctic UAV is transformative and will significantly enhance the scientific community’s monitoring capabilities in assessing climate change.

Icebergs locked against the seashore just 150m from ILLU Science & Art Hub, the operating base for the ArcticDrone Port team whilst field testing in Ilulissat during May 2025.
MRB5’s 3rd test session chasing the midnight sun across Ilulissat Kangerlua at 23:35hrs. No issues with compass at bearing 69.20050° N, 51.12540° W.
To facilitate the evaluation of the project expansion funding request, I have provided a succinct summary of my work during my time with the ArcticDrone Port team Ilulissat in May 2025. This webpage comprises six galleries, each presenting vignettes of diverse scientific endeavours. Kindly click on any image to access a full-screen view.

  1. The inaugural gallery captures the ArcticDrone Port team’s arrival at ILLU, where they proceeded to unpack and calibrate UVA MRB5 after its journey from the United Kingdom.

  2. Gallery two offers a concise snapshot of Ilulissat in May, capturing the ethereal splendour of a 24-hour day. Community engagement will help the success of the ArcticDrone Port, and I am currently engaged in another project in Ilulissat that encompasses audio interviews and portraits of local residents, including politicians, community leaders, young individuals, and fishermen. I can provide samples of those interviews further details upon request.

  3. The third gallery shows snippets of arguably MRB5’s most successful flight test session, which concluded well beyond midnight.

  4. Gallery four documents the team’s involvement in assisting with the deployment of CTDs (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) measurements in Ilulissat Kangerlua.

  5. Gallery five holds significant importance for ArcticDrone Port’s aspirations, as it presents my collaborative efforts with three scientists conducting an extensive aerial survey of Kangia ringed seals. This rare subspecies of Arctic ringed seal is exclusively found in Ilulissat Kangerlua. During the survey, I spent seven hours flying at an altitude of 500 feet in the company of Senior Scientist Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid from Pinngortitaleriffik (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, GNIR), Rikke Guldborg Hansen, a Senior Advisor at the Department of Ecoscience, Marine Mammal Research 1 at Aarhus University, and Tenna Hedeholm, a Consultant Biologist from NIRAS. This experience provided me with a firsthand understanding of the meticulous and resource-intensive nature of the survey process.

  6. The concluding gallery showcases some of the abstract patterns generated by the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier’s seasonal meltwater entering Ilulissat Kangerlua. It’s truly awe-inspiring to witness.

An offical team photograph including ARIA’s Jess Humphreys and Dan Giles concludes the webpage. Enjoy.

Gallery 1 These photos capture the ArcticDrone Port team’s arrival at ILLU Science & Art Hub, followed by the unpacking and calibration of the MRB5 after its journey. Despite one of the UAVs sustaining damage during transit, initial nerves quickly dissipated as the other one demonstrated its full potential. The entire team was present: Mathieu Johnsson, James Howling, Daniel Weston, Oli Bell, Frederico Rodrigues, Kerim Nisancioglu, and Svend Hardenberg.

Gallery 2 Ilulissat in May is a peaceful place, where the townsfolk emerge from a long winter and bask in the ethereal light of a 24-hour day. The tourist season, which sees a surge in cruise ship visitors, begins in late June and recedes in late September. 


Gallery 3 This gallery shows the use of flash to create an editorial, ‘freer’ feel. While daylight is always present, the softness of the sun creates a wide range of tones and colours, perfect for drone footage. The striking juxtaposition of people in the landscape was constant a highlight. Returning to the same location due to flight restrictions (permits are currently being applied for), I had to adapt various photographic techniques. The session concluded well past midnight.


Gallery 4 This gallery documents the team’s time spent assisting with the deployment of CTDs (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) in Ilulissat Kangerlua. It was crucial for the team to experience the immense scale of the fjord and Sermeq Kujalleq’s seasonal melt. Venturing far beyond the reach of tourist charters, one of Ilulissat’s most experienced local guide, John Davidsen, guided us through increasingly treacherous ice to a mooring point just 6 square metres. ARIA’s Jess Humphreys and Dan Giles joined the team, with Dan even donning his science hat to help record observations! 

Gallery 5 Spending seven hours flying at 500ft with Aqqalu, Rikke, and Tenna, I witnessed firsthand the labour-intensive and costly nature of the survey process. The survey took place during the Kangia ringed seal’s moulting season, a precise two-week window in late May. During this time, the seals are more visible on the ice, and warmer temperatures are advantageous as the seals are less likely to dive, preferring to stay warmer with more exposed skin. Even at such low altitude, observing the seals required a lot of skill and experience.

Preparation involved ‘jerry-rigging’ the plane with GPS and tools to record data. Visual sightings were recorded using Sony ICD-SX712 Digital Flash Voice Recorders, the cruise track was recorded via an external GPS, and declination angle to sightings was measured when animals were abeam using Suunto inclinometers. Trying to spot a seal with the human eye is akin to viewing the fjord through a plastic drinking straw. We consumed many sugary snacks during the flights. 

Gallery 6 This final gallery shows some of the abstract patterns created by the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier’s seasonal melt into Ilulissat Kangerlua. Breathtaking, dense, fragile, beautiful, vast, intricate are just a few words that describe the scale of geology and hydrology on display. It was a privilege to join the survey flights.


Official Team Photo Left to Right: Dan Giles, Oli Bell, Daniel Gunning, Frederico Rodrigues, James Howling, Mathieu Johnsson, Daniel Weston, Svend Hardenberg, Kerim Nisancioglu and Jess Humphreys. Sermermiut’s shoreline spans the background.