Snow Depth Sensors

Archiver

Any ideas for inexpensive snow depth sensors?

Will ultrasonic work? If so, how will snow density effect readings?

Any other ideas?

Thanks, Pete.

________________________________________________________
Peter W. Houlihan, (413) 538-3091, phouliha@m...
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Environmental Literacy
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA 01075

Visit our website at:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/proj/cel/index.html
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Archiver

>Any ideas for inexpensive snow depth sensors?
>
>Will ultrasonic work? If so, how will snow density effect readings?
>
>Any other ideas?

One way the pros do it is a "snow pillow", which is a big, flat,
tough, floppy bag that is installed on the ground and loosely
inflated before the snow falls, and connected to a pressure sensor.
The weight of snow on the bag causes the pressure to increase and is
proportional to the water content of the snow, not necessarily depth.
There are a lot of confounding factors, like the layers of ice that
tend form within the snow. I wonder how accurate they are.

-- Tracy


>Thanks, Pete.
>
>________________________________________________________
>Peter W. Houlihan, (413) 538-3091, phouliha@m...
>Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Environmental Literacy
>Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA 01075
>
>Visit our website at:
>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/proj/cel/index.html
>________________________________________________________