International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF MECHANICAL AND DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES: GRAND MESA, COLORADO, U.S.A.

• • Title: SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF MECHANICAL AND DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES: GRAND MESA, COLORADO, U.S.A.

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway

    Authors:

    • Hans-Peter Marshall  [ Cryosphere Geophysics and Remote Sensing (CryoGARS), Boise State, Boise, ID, USA ]
    • Eli Deeb  [ U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Hanover, NH, USA ]
    • Paul Siqueira  [ Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory, University of Massachusetts Amherst ]
    • Kelly Elder  [ Rocky Mountain Research Station, USFS, Fraser, CO, USA ]
    • Lee Liberty  [ Cryosphere Geophysics and Remote Sensing (CryoGARS), Boise State, Boise, ID, USA ]
    • Thomas Othiem  [ Cryosphere Geophysics and Remote Sensing (CryoGARS), Boise State, Boise, ID, USA ]
    • Thomas Van Der Weide  [ Cryosphere Geophysics and Remote Sensing (CryoGARS), Boise State, Boise, ID, USA ]
    • Adrian Tang  [ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA ]
    • Zach Hoppinen  [ U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Hanover, NH, USA ]
    • Tate Meehan  [ U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Hanover, NH, USA ]

    Date: 2024-09-23

    Abstract: In order to accurately map slope to basin-scale snow stability at high resolution, spatial estimates of snow mass changes and snow mechanical properties (e.g., strength, stiffness) are required. New remote sensing tools are providing insight into spatial distributions of snow mass, with the most promising global approach using microwave radar that is sensitive to the dielectric properties of snow. Direct observations of snow mechanical properties are very limited, sparse both spatially and temporally. Using a wide range of tools we acquired spatial measurements of both mechanical and dielectric properties of snow on Grand Mesa, Colorado, at over 3000m elevation in simple low angle terrain, across a 7 km x 14 km area. We measured micromechanical and structural properties with the SnowMicroPen, and imaged decimeter-scale mechanical properties along a 100+ m transect with a new active-source seismic system optimized for seasonal snow. We measured dielectric properties with in situ permittivity probes, and deployed ground-based, UAV, and airborne radar at L-, C-, and Ku-bands. Understanding spatial variability in mechanical properties may improve if we can establish a link between mechanical properties and remote sensing techniques, and we performed a preliminary comparison experiment in a place which contains small-scale topography and wind redistribution, but not a large elevation gradient. While we performed this initial experiment in relatively flat terrain, these preliminary results will be used to plan future experiments in complex terrain and observe changes with time.

    Object ID: ISSW2024_O3.6.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s):

    Keywords: snow mechanical properties, radar, spatial variability, remote sensing, snow micropenetrometer

    Page Number(s): 432 - 434

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