Brief communication: Application of a muonic cosmic ray snow gauge to monitor the snow water equivalent on alpine glaciers
Monitoring the snow water equivalent (SWE) in the harsh environments of high mountain regions is a challenge. Here, we explore the use of muon counts to infer SWE. We deployed a muonic cosmic ray snow gauge (μ-CRSG) on a Swiss glacier during the snow-rich winter season 2020/21 (almost 2000 mm w.e.)....
| Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-799-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/799/2022/tc-16-799-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/article/c67920ff2c6142c7aa7d343c5e7fbcff |
| Summary: | Monitoring the snow water equivalent (SWE) in the harsh environments of high mountain regions is a challenge. Here, we explore the use of muon counts to infer SWE. We deployed a muonic cosmic ray snow gauge (μ-CRSG) on a Swiss glacier during the snow-rich winter season 2020/21 (almost 2000 mm w.e.). The μ-CRSG measurements agree well with measurements by a neutronic cosmic ray snow gauge (n-CRSG), and they lie within the uncertainty of manual observations. We conclude that the μ-CRSG is a highly promising method to monitor SWE in remote high mountain environments with several advantages over the n-CRSG. |
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