Laboratory study of the influence of salinity on the relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow

• Snow water equivalent of a snowpack can be estimated using ground-penetrating radar from the radar wave two-way travel time. However, such estimates often have low accuracy when the snowpack contains liquid water. If snow wetness is known, it is possible to take it into account in the estimates; it is therefore desirable to be able to determine snow wetness from already available radar data. Our approach is based on using radar wave attenuation, and it requires that the relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow should be known. This relationship has been tentatively established in previous laboratory experiments, but only for a specific liquid water salinity and radar frequency. This article presents the results of new laboratory experiments conducted to investigate if and how this relationship is influenced by salinity. In each experiment, a certain amount of snow was melted and a known amount of salt (different for different experiments) was added to the water. Water salinity was measured, and the water was added step-wise to a one-meter thick snowpack, with radar measurements taken between additions of water. Our experiments have confirmed the earlier established linear relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow, and they allow us to suggest that the influence of liquid water salinity on electrical conductivity is negligible when compared to the influence of liquid water content in snow.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Vattenteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Water Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Oceanografi, hydrologi och vattenresurser (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Oceanography, Hydrology and Water Resources (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geofysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geophysics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geokemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geochemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

ground-penetrating radar

snow water equivalent

electrical conductivity

snow wetness

snow salinity

radar wave attenuation

Water engineering

Vattenteknik

Applied Geology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)