U.S. Navy Lt. Corbin Mellow, a student at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), prepares for a data collection flight using an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with an infrared LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, sensor. The three-dimensional, laser-scanning equipped UAS is supporting multiple student research efforts to develop a more effective and reliable capability to estimate bathymetry in the tumultuous, dynamic – and operationally critical – surf zone.