Millimeter-wave radar sensor for snow height measurements

S.854-861 A small and lightweight frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar system is used for the determination of snow height by measuring the distance to the snow surface from a platform. The measurements have been performed at the Centre des Etudes de la Neige (Col de Porte), which is loc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Main Authors: Ayhan, S., Pauli, M., Scherr, S., Göttel, B., Bhutani, A., Thomas, S., Jaeschke, T., Panel, J.-M., Vivier, F., Eymard, L., Weill, A., Pohl, N., Zwick, T.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
621
Online Access:https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/252037
https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2016.2616441
Description
Summary:S.854-861 A small and lightweight frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar system is used for the determination of snow height by measuring the distance to the snow surface from a platform. The measurements have been performed at the Centre des Etudes de la Neige (Col de Porte), which is located near Grenoble in the French Alps. It is shown that the FMCW radar at millimeter-wave frequencies is an extremely promising approach for distance measurements to snow surfaces, e.g., in the mountains or in an Arctic environment. The characteristics of the radar sensor are described in detail. The relevant accuracy to measure the distance to a snow layer is shown at different heights and over an extended time duration. A dedicated laser snow telemeter is used as reference. In addition, the reflection from different types of snow is shown. 55 Nr.2