# Adaptive Path Planning for UAV-Based Pollution Sampling
## 3 Materials and Methods
### Operational Scenarios for APP Development
Safety regulations, including altitude requirements over the city, are enforced in the trajectory design. This mission tests the UAV's ability to conduct high-altitude profiling with precise path control. Another scenario involves air pollution profiling around Zywice, where the APP generates paths encircling the city to capture spatial variations in pollution levels. The UAV takes off manually from Zar Airport and transitions to autonomous control upon completing the takeoff phase. It then approaches Zywice and follows a circular trajectory around the city, taking measurements while maintaining the required altitude. After completing the profiling, the UAV returns to the airport, where control is handed back to the operator for manual landing. This scenario highlights the APP's capability to design efficient circular trajectories for comprehensive data collection around urban areas (Figure 1f). For vertical profiling over Gliwice, the APP integrates altitude changes into its path planning to map pollution levels across different atmospheric layers. The UAV takes off manually from Gliwice-Trynek Airport and transitions to autonomous control to climb to the required altitude. It performs a profiling mission by flying over the city, gliding down to lower altitudes, and then returning to the airport. The mission ensures accurate 3D mapping of smog distribution while maintaining safe and efficient trajectories. This scenario demonstrates the APP's ability to plan complex vertical profiles in urban environments, considering both ascent and descent phases (Figure 1g). Another scenario (Figure 1h) involves vertical profiling over Gliwice-Trynek Airport, where the APP generates paths to support measurements of biomass burning and mineral dust distribution. After taking off manually from Gliwice-Trynek Airport (EPGL), the UAV transitions to autonomous control and climbs to an altitude of approximately 10,000 m above ground level (AGL) while remaining above the airport. Once the required altitude is reached, the UAV glides back down to 100 m AGL before returning to the landing start point. Control is then handed back to the human operator for manual landing. This scenario highlights the APP's ability to plan precise vertical trajectories for scientific data collection, considering both ascent and descent phases. The mission scene is modeled using GIS data, ensuring realistic heightmap representation of the Gliwice area. It demonstrates the APP's capability to handle 3D trajectory optimization for high-altitude profiling with efficient and safe flight paths. In the next mission (Figure 1i), the HALE UAV performs vertical aerosol transport profiling near Gliwice. After taking off manually from Gliwice-Trynek Airport (EPGL), control is passed to the autonomous system. The UAV climbs over rural areas to reach an altitude of 2500 m AGL, then flies above the city, gliding down to 500 m AGL. It returns to the airport, where control is handed back to the human operator for manual landing. The APP plans the entire trajectory, including altitude changes and safe navigation over rural and urban areas. This mission supports aerosol transport measurements under varying conditions, ensuring efficient and precise data collection. In the Arctic, the APP supports a mission identifying aerosol layers near Ny-Alesund, Norway. The planner generates energy-efficient, low-altitude paths in extreme weather conditions, showcasing its robustness in remote environments (Figure 1j). Similarly, a long-distance flight over the Kongsvegen glacier requires the APP to optimize energy consumption while maintaining continuous data collection (Figure 1k). A longitudinal mission across Spitsbergen challenges the APP to plan global waypoints for extended operations, balancing energy efficiency with environmental adaptability. This scenario validates the APP's ability to manage large-scale missions in complex and changing environments (Figure 1l).