A novel approach for calculating the internal layers of snowpacks using a S-band radar

Abstract

In the last years, the development of new ground-based techniques for studying the snowpack has tried to fill the gap between satellite and manual techniques. In particular, ground-based radars are considered a very useful technology for their ability to sound relatively deep snowpacks in a non-destructive way. Obtaining the bulk physical parameters of the snowpack (density, liquid water content…) has been successfully done using ground-based radars by several research groups, however, estimating the internal structure of the snowpack remains as a challenge due, mainly, to technological limitations. This work presents a novel quasi-automatic approach to estimate the internal structure of the snowpack, in terms of density and liquid water content (LWC), based in a double receiver S-band radar. The approach is validated with numerical simulations and the very first field results.