Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology
Snow stratigraphy and water percolation are key contributing factors to avalanche formation. So far, only destructive methods can provide this kind of information. Radar technology allows continuous, non-destructive scanning of the snowpack so that the temporal evolution of internal properties can b...
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Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/1/j13J084.pdf http://www.igsoc.org/journal/60/221/j13J084.html https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558.d001 |
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ftawi:oai:epic.awi.de:35405 2023-05-15T16:57:39+02:00 Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology Schmid, Lino Heilig, Achim Mitterer, Christoph Schweizer, Jürg Maurer, Hansruedi Okorn, Robert Eisen, Olaf 2014-01-08 application/pdf https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/1/j13J084.pdf http://www.igsoc.org/journal/60/221/j13J084.html https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558.d001 unknown INT GLACIOL SOC https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/1/j13J084.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558.d001 Schmid, L. , Heilig, A. , Mitterer, C. , Schweizer, J. , Maurer, H. , Okorn, R. and Eisen, O. orcid:0000-0002-6380-962X (2014) Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology , Journal of Glaciology, 60 (221), pp. 509-525 . doi:10.3189/2014JoG13J084 <https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J084> , hdl:10013/epic.43558 EPIC3Journal of Glaciology, INT GLACIOL SOC, 60(221), pp. 509-525, ISSN: 0022-1430 Article isiRev 2014 ftawi https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J084 2021-12-24T15:39:29Z Snow stratigraphy and water percolation are key contributing factors to avalanche formation. So far, only destructive methods can provide this kind of information. Radar technology allows continuous, non-destructive scanning of the snowpack so that the temporal evolution of internal properties can be followed. We installed an upward-looking ground-penetrating radar system (upGPR) at the Weissfluhjoch study site (Davos, Switzerland). During two winter seasons (2010/11 and 2011/12) we recorded data with the aim of quantitatively determining snowpack properties and their temporal evolution. We automatically derived the snow height with an accuracy of about 5 cm, tracked the settlement of internal layers (+-7 cm) and measured the amount of new snow (+-10 cm). Using external snow height measurements, we determined the bulk density with a mean error of 4.3% compared to manual measurements. Radar-derived snow water equivalent deviated from manual measurements by 5%. Furthermore, we tracked the location of the dry-to-wet transition in the snowpack until water percolated to the ground. Based on the transition and an independent snow height measurement it was possible to estimate the volumetric liquid water content and its temporal evolution. Even though we need additional information to derive some of the snow properties, our results show that it is possible to quantitatively derive snow properties with upGPR. Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) Journal of Glaciology 60 221 509 525 |
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Open Polar |
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Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar- and Marine Research (AWI): ePIC (electronic Publication Information Center) |
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ftawi |
language |
unknown |
description |
Snow stratigraphy and water percolation are key contributing factors to avalanche formation. So far, only destructive methods can provide this kind of information. Radar technology allows continuous, non-destructive scanning of the snowpack so that the temporal evolution of internal properties can be followed. We installed an upward-looking ground-penetrating radar system (upGPR) at the Weissfluhjoch study site (Davos, Switzerland). During two winter seasons (2010/11 and 2011/12) we recorded data with the aim of quantitatively determining snowpack properties and their temporal evolution. We automatically derived the snow height with an accuracy of about 5 cm, tracked the settlement of internal layers (+-7 cm) and measured the amount of new snow (+-10 cm). Using external snow height measurements, we determined the bulk density with a mean error of 4.3% compared to manual measurements. Radar-derived snow water equivalent deviated from manual measurements by 5%. Furthermore, we tracked the location of the dry-to-wet transition in the snowpack until water percolated to the ground. Based on the transition and an independent snow height measurement it was possible to estimate the volumetric liquid water content and its temporal evolution. Even though we need additional information to derive some of the snow properties, our results show that it is possible to quantitatively derive snow properties with upGPR. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Schmid, Lino Heilig, Achim Mitterer, Christoph Schweizer, Jürg Maurer, Hansruedi Okorn, Robert Eisen, Olaf |
spellingShingle |
Schmid, Lino Heilig, Achim Mitterer, Christoph Schweizer, Jürg Maurer, Hansruedi Okorn, Robert Eisen, Olaf Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
author_facet |
Schmid, Lino Heilig, Achim Mitterer, Christoph Schweizer, Jürg Maurer, Hansruedi Okorn, Robert Eisen, Olaf |
author_sort |
Schmid, Lino |
title |
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
title_short |
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
title_full |
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
title_fullStr |
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
title_full_unstemmed |
Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
title_sort |
continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology |
publisher |
INT GLACIOL SOC |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/1/j13J084.pdf http://www.igsoc.org/journal/60/221/j13J084.html https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558.d001 |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
EPIC3Journal of Glaciology, INT GLACIOL SOC, 60(221), pp. 509-525, ISSN: 0022-1430 |
op_relation |
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35405/1/j13J084.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43558.d001 Schmid, L. , Heilig, A. , Mitterer, C. , Schweizer, J. , Maurer, H. , Okorn, R. and Eisen, O. orcid:0000-0002-6380-962X (2014) Continuous snowpack monitoring using upward-looking ground-penetrating radar technology , Journal of Glaciology, 60 (221), pp. 509-525 . doi:10.3189/2014JoG13J084 <https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J084> , hdl:10013/epic.43558 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J084 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
60 |
container_issue |
221 |
container_start_page |
509 |
op_container_end_page |
525 |
_version_ |
1766049222562414592 |