Creating an advanced, economical, environmentally friendly measurement of snow water equivalence using observed GPS signals beneath the snowpack

The purpose for this research is to develop a Snow Water Equivalency (SWE) sensor that will broaden our understanding of snow and the water we receive from it. Current methods used to measure SWE are labor intensive, utilize hazardous antifreezes, economically prohibitive, and/or vulnerable to the environment. These limitations greatly restrict the number of locations where SWE measurements are made. The limitation in SWE data lends to inaccurate stream flow forecasts which can result in flood damage as well aseconomical losses to agriculture, tourism, and hydroelectric power generation.The SWE sensor we propose to develop will monitor the interractions of theGPS signal with the snowpack. This research will develop algorithms relating this signal to actual SWE values. Utilizing GPS technology we also will have the ability to determine the liquid water content of the snow and potentially the snow depth.Recently low cost GPS receivers have reached the market making this proposal economically feasible. By utilizing these commerciallyavailablelow-cost receivers, we should be able to create a very economical sensor that is easily deployed by field technicians. The ultimate hope is that a low-cost, maintenance-free, environmentally-friendly, and GPS-based SWE sensor will lead to a broader collection of SWE data in watersheds across the United States. This larger data set will increase the government's ability to forecast available water resourcesand floods.