Evaluating the surface density and the spatial variability of the Arctic snow cover using a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar ...

• Main Authors: Boisvert-Vigneault, Érika, Langlois, Alexandre
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; Peary; Climate change; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.57757/iugg23-2424; https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018330

<!--!introduction!--> The arctic ecosystem is changing four times faster than the rest of the planet because of climate change. This increases the frequency of extreme weather events, like very strong winds, that have direct repercussions on snow properties, especially on its density. These kinds of events can prevent the foraging of the Peary caribou ( Rangifer tarandus pearyi ) as soon as the density of the snow exceeds 350 kg/m 2 , leading to nutritional deficiencies and even, in extreme cases, to mass mortality events due to famine. Unfortunately, the densification of the snow by strong winds is hard to study, as it is a very variable phenomenon at a local scale and the actual method of gathering density data is by digging up snow pits, which is time consuming and provides only punctual data. The usage of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar opens the possibility of developing an algorithm to retrieve snow density to characterize the spatial variability and impact of wind on the ... : The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023) ...