Drone-mounted snow radar for airborne measurements of snow on sea ice - SnowDrone

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Measuring snow depth on sea ice using a drone-based snow radar

Snow on sea ice is one of the key parameters for the polar climate system regulating sea-ice growth and melt.
Future snow depth retrieval algorithms based on dual-frequency satellite altimetry, such as the Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) satellite by the European Space Agency (ESA), need to be calibrated and validated with in-situ data, and in-depth information about the snowpack is crucial to characterize penetration into the snow layer in both frequencies.
New methods to retrieve accurate but spatially representative measurements of snow depth and density are highly required.
Our NORCE UAV carries an ultra-wideband radar and can obtain information about the snow layer on sea ice to complement future satellite calibration/validation activities, including measurements of snow depth and potentially snow density. In addition, it can support future research studies and field campaigns that benefit from this mobile and flexible system
We demonstrated the capabilities of SnowDrone on a campaign on Svalbard in spring 2024, where we carried out drone flights and complementary snow and sea ice thickness measurements on van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard. The surveys also include an underflight of an ICESat-2 beam track crossing the fjord.

Contact

Robert Ricker

Senior Scientist - Tromsø

rori@norceresearch.no
+47 56 10 78 40

Project facts

Name

Drone-mounted snow radar for airborne measurements of snow on sea ice - SnowDrone

Status

Active

Duration

01.09.23 - 30.11.24

Total budget

1.700.000 NOK

Research areas

Climate

Technology

Research group

Earth Observation

Funding

ESA - European Space Agency

Project members

Robert Ricker

Rolf-Ole Rydeng Jenssen

Polona Itkin

Samarbeidspartnere

NPI, UiT

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