Item: ADVANCEMENTS IN THE LYTE PROBE: IMPROVING SNOW CHARACTERIZATION AND AVALANCHE WORK THROUGH MULTI-SENSOR APPROACHES
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Title: ADVANCEMENTS IN THE LYTE PROBE: IMPROVING SNOW CHARACTERIZATION AND AVALANCHE WORK THROUGH MULTI-SENSOR APPROACHES
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon
Authors:
- Micah J. Johnson [ Adventure Data Inc., Boise ID, USA ]
- Michael S. Town [ Earth and Space Research, Seattle WA, USA ] [ Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, NORWAY ]
- Tate G. Meehan [ U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH, USA ]
Date: 2023-10-08
Abstract: The Lyte probe is a multi-sensored, manually-driven penetrometer/reflectometer, designed for operational snow safety and scientific research - prioritizing accuracy, portability, and durability. To assess depth accuracy, the Lyte probe was tested against a displacement tube for NIR layer placement errors and a LiDAR range finder for total depth errors. These tests revealed that the Lyte probe's layer placement is accurate to within +/- 5.2 cm and total depth estimates are accurate to within +/- 14.5 cm, with a 95% confidence level. The Lyte probe employs a novel high-impact force sensor which is estimated here to endure ~1500N of force and is still able to detect thin snow layers like buried surface hoar. Qualitative evaluations showcased the Lyte probe's ability to replicate features from hand hardness profiles, differentiating stable and unstable snowpacks. It effectively replicates SnowMicroPen measurements in shallow Arctic snow conditions. As it matures, the Lyte probe is increasingly integrated into research which is exemplified by two notable applications. In the first application, the Lyte probe was used to characterize multiple transects of snow on EastGRIP ice core site in NE Greenland during 2022. The second revolves around a statistical relationship developed to predict snow density from Lyte probe profiles in 2023. Validation across three sites - Idaho, Colorado, and Alaska - yielded predictions of bulk densities ranging from -3.8% to -11.6% of the measured values. The Lyte probe will continue to develop focusing on reducing the uncertainty in total depth and development of mobile app data acquisition.
Object ID: ISSW2023_P3.39.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Unknown
Keywords: smart probe, penetrometer, near-infrared, snow hardness, density, lyte probe
Page Number(s): 1464 - 1471
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