Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack
Terrestrial snow cover is a perennial feature of the mountain cryosphere and can change rapidly in response to variable weather patterns. Measuring the interaction between atmospheric conditions and a snowpack at high spatial and temporal resolution requires the use of close-range sensors. Here, we...
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816080/ |
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| author | William D. Harcourt Duncan A. Robertson David G. Macfarlane Brice R. Rea Mike R. James Mark Diggins Blair Fyffe |
| author_facet | William D. Harcourt Duncan A. Robertson David G. Macfarlane Brice R. Rea Mike R. James Mark Diggins Blair Fyffe |
| author_sort | William D. Harcourt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Terrestrial snow cover is a perennial feature of the mountain cryosphere and can change rapidly in response to variable weather patterns. Measuring the interaction between atmospheric conditions and a snowpack at high spatial and temporal resolution requires the use of close-range sensors. Here, we measured the variability of a spring snowpack across two corries in Scotland using ground-based 94 GHz radar in order to assess its ability to monitor snowpack changes. We deployed both the second generation All-weather Volcano Topography Imaging Sensor (AVTIS2) 94 GHz radar and a Riegl LPM-321 Terrestrial Laser Scanner in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, in March 2021 over 3 days. AVTIS2 is a tripod-mounted, real-aperture radar system which mechanically scans across a scene of interest to map normalized radar cross section <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(\sigma ^{0})$</tex-math></inline-formula> and 3-D point clouds. We measured an increase in <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma ^{0}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>10 dB over 24 h during which time the daytime (09:00–18:00) average air temperature reduced from 2.2 to 0.3 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>C. We suggest this increase in radar backscatter was due to the transition of the snowpack from surface melting to a refrozen state. Overnight, snow drift led to the formation of windslab across the headwall of the corrie and subsequent snowpack failure, which we identified through a localized increase in <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma ^{0}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 10–15 dB. The high sensitivity of 94-GHz radar backscatter to changes in snow surface conditions demonstrates the capabilities of millimeter-wave radar for daily monitoring of snow cover characteristics across complex topography with a spatial resolution of approximately a few meters. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c05b07b48c304ff5a6812c1e3edf11c6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1939-1404 2151-1535 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
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| series | IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-c05b07b48c304ff5a6812c1e3edf11c62025-01-24T00:00:54ZengIEEEIEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing1939-14042151-15352025-01-01183611362410.1109/JSTARS.2024.352258310816080Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime SnowpackWilliam D. Harcourt0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3897-3193Duncan A. Robertson1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4042-2772David G. Macfarlane2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4724-7591Brice R. Rea3Mike R. James4Mark Diggins5Blair Fyffe6School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K.School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K.School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K.School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, U.K.Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, U.K.Scottish Avalanche Information Service, Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, U.K.Scottish Avalanche Information Service, Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, U.K.Terrestrial snow cover is a perennial feature of the mountain cryosphere and can change rapidly in response to variable weather patterns. Measuring the interaction between atmospheric conditions and a snowpack at high spatial and temporal resolution requires the use of close-range sensors. Here, we measured the variability of a spring snowpack across two corries in Scotland using ground-based 94 GHz radar in order to assess its ability to monitor snowpack changes. We deployed both the second generation All-weather Volcano Topography Imaging Sensor (AVTIS2) 94 GHz radar and a Riegl LPM-321 Terrestrial Laser Scanner in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, in March 2021 over 3 days. AVTIS2 is a tripod-mounted, real-aperture radar system which mechanically scans across a scene of interest to map normalized radar cross section <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(\sigma ^{0})$</tex-math></inline-formula> and 3-D point clouds. We measured an increase in <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma ^{0}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>10 dB over 24 h during which time the daytime (09:00–18:00) average air temperature reduced from 2.2 to 0.3 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>C. We suggest this increase in radar backscatter was due to the transition of the snowpack from surface melting to a refrozen state. Overnight, snow drift led to the formation of windslab across the headwall of the corrie and subsequent snowpack failure, which we identified through a localized increase in <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma ^{0}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 10–15 dB. The high sensitivity of 94-GHz radar backscatter to changes in snow surface conditions demonstrates the capabilities of millimeter-wave radar for daily monitoring of snow cover characteristics across complex topography with a spatial resolution of approximately a few meters.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816080/Millimeter-wave radarradar backscattersnow avalanchesnow monitoringsnowmelt |
| spellingShingle | William D. Harcourt Duncan A. Robertson David G. Macfarlane Brice R. Rea Mike R. James Mark Diggins Blair Fyffe Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing Millimeter-wave radar radar backscatter snow avalanche snow monitoring snowmelt |
| title | Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack |
| title_full | Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack |
| title_fullStr | Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack |
| title_short | Spatial and Temporal Variations in 94-GHz Radar Backscatter From a Springtime Snowpack |
| title_sort | spatial and temporal variations in 94 ghz radar backscatter from a springtime snowpack |
| topic | Millimeter-wave radar radar backscatter snow avalanche snow monitoring snowmelt |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816080/ |
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