Statistical model for the correlation length of snow derived from SnowMicroPen measurements.
Abstract
The SnowMicroPen (SMP) allows to retrieve mechanical parameters from the snowpack. However, remote sensing applications rely on structural parameters of snow such as the correlation length. Due to the complexity of the physical connection between structural and mechanical parameters we derived a statistical model for the correlation length from SMP measurements. To this end we have analyzed snow samples of many different snow classes and densities by micro computer-tomography (CT) and SMP. We correlated the SMP-derived structural element length with the CT-derived correlation length and validated the model using field data taken during the NoSREx - III campaign in Sodankylä, Finland. Further, we employ the statistical model to estimate the specific surface area from combined SMP and density measurement from natural snow profiles. We compare this SSA estimate to independent SSA measurements by near-infrared photography and discuss potential and limitation of the method.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFM.C33B0658P
- Keywords:
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- 0736 CRYOSPHERE / Snow;
- 0758 CRYOSPHERE / Remote sensing;
- 0770 CRYOSPHERE / Properties;
- 0794 CRYOSPHERE / Instruments and techniques