(Near) Real-Time Snow Water Equivalent Observation Using GNSS Refractometry and RTKLIB

Steiner, Ladina; Studemann, Géraldine; Grimm, David; Marty, Christoph; Leinß, Silvan

doi:10.3390/s22186918

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

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“…There are also other, at least partly, spaceborne methods for SWE assessment such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) or the use of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). However, these methods are mainly employed airborne (LiDAR) [49,50] or use physical receivers on the ground (GNSS) [51,52] and are, therefore, not suited for the scope of this review and were not further considered. Within SAR, there are two different methods.…”

Section: Measuring Snow Water Equivalentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snow Water Equivalent Monitoring—A Review of Large-Scale Remote Sensing Applications

Schilling,

Dietz,

Kuenzer

2024

Remote Sensing

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Snow plays a crucial role in the global water cycle, providing water to over 20% of the world’s population and serving as a vital component for flora, fauna, and climate regulation. Changes in snow patterns due to global warming have far-reaching impacts on water management, agriculture, and other economic sectors such as winter tourism. Additionally, they have implications for environmental stability, prompting migration and cultural shifts in snow-dependent communities. Accurate information on snow and its variables is, thus, essential for both scientific understanding and societal planning. This review explores the potential of remote sensing in monitoring snow water equivalent (SWE) on a large scale, analyzing 164 selected publications from 2000 to 2023. Categorized by methodology and content, the analysis reveals a growing interest in the topic, with a concentration of research in North America and China. Methodologically, there is a shift from passive microwave (PMW) inversion algorithms to artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the Random Forest (RF) and neural network (NN) approaches. A majority of studies integrate PMW data with auxiliary information, focusing thematically on remote sensing and snow research, with limited incorporation into broader environmental contexts. Long-term studies (>30 years) suggest a general decrease in SWE in the Northern Hemisphere, though regional and seasonal variations exist. Finally, the review suggests potential future SWE research directions such as addressing PMW data issues, downsampling for detailed analyses, conducting interdisciplinary studies, and incorporating forecasting to enable more widespread applications.

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Section: Measuring Snow Water Equivalentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snow Water Equivalent Monitoring—A Review of Large-Scale Remote Sensing Applications

Schilling,

Dietz,

Kuenzer

2024

Remote Sensing

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Combined GNSS reflectometry–refractometry for automated and continuous in situ surface mass balance estimation on an Antarctic ice shelf

Steiner,

Schmithüsen,

Wickert

et al. 2023

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. Reliable in situ surface mass balance (SMB) estimates in polar regions are scarce due to limited spatial and temporal data availability. This study aims at deriving automated and continuous specific SMB time series for fast-moving parts of ice sheets and shelves (flow velocity > 10 m a−1) by developing a combined global navigation satellite system (GNSS) reflectometry and refractometry (GNSS-RR) method. In situ snow density, snow water equivalent (SWE), and snow deposition or erosion are estimated simultaneously as an average over an area of several square meters and independently on weather conditions. The combined GNSS-RR method is validated and investigated regarding its applicability to a moving, high-latitude ice shelf. A combined GNSS-RR system was therefore installed in November 2021 on the Ekström ice shelf (flow velocity ≈ 150 m a−1) in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The reflected and refracted GNSS observations from the site are post-processed to obtain snow accumulation (deposition and erosion), SWE, and snow density estimates with a 15 min temporal resolution. The results of the first 16 months of data show a high level of agreement with manual and automated reference observations from the same site. Snow accumulation, SWE, and density are derived with uncertainties of around 9 cm, 40 kg m−2 a−1, and 72 kg m−3, respectively. This pilot study forms the basis for extending observational networks with GNSS-RR capabilities, particularly in polar regions. Regional climate models, local snow modeling, and extensive remote sensing data products will profit from calibration and validation based on such in situ time series, especially if many such sensors will be deployed over larger regional scales.

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(Near) Real-Time Snow Water Equivalent Observation Using GNSS Refractometry and RTKLIB

Cited by 2 publications

References 25 publications

Snow Water Equivalent Monitoring—A Review of Large-Scale Remote Sensing Applications

Snow Water Equivalent Monitoring—A Review of Large-Scale Remote Sensing Applications

Combined GNSS reflectometry–refractometry for automated and continuous in situ surface mass balance estimation on an Antarctic ice shelf

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