A satellite sensor was tested on an airplane to measure the heat exchange between snow and air. This was reported by Eurac Research.
A Cessna aircraft carrying an experimental instrument flew over the Senales Valley in South Tyrol, between Lake Vernago and Gravande. At the same time, eight teams of scientists walked along the same routes, manually measuring the thickness of the snow and weighing it to determine the type of snow cover. On each flight, the Cessna looped over terrain at an altitude of 5000 meters for approximately 40 minutes. It was critical that the research team receive data from the same route at different times of the day.
“Until now, we’ve used satellite imagery that directly measures features like depth and density to observe snow,” explains Carlo Marin, one of the technology’s developers. “Instead, a method developed by the University of Milan Bicocca measures how snow “breathes,” i.e. the heat exchange between snow and air. Based on this information, we can predict properties such as the density and type of snow, the temperature of the underlying layers. Therefore, the warmer the day During the hours, the snow layer on the surface is warmer.
In the coming months, scientists will compare the results of manual changes and automatic changes. If they match, the sensor will be installed on satellites to assess the distribution of snow on Earth, including at high altitudes. This is necessary to assess the impact of climate change on water resources.
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