Application of radar to snow surveying

Many problems exist in the use of radar for snow surveying and considerable research is being carried on in several countries. However at the present time many valuable factors can be measured and are described: onset time ; duration; intensity with time; direction of movement; rate of movement variation with the snow area; total snowfall and probably some information on size and shape of particles. With most equipment currently available, the maximum usable range for most snowfalls of the type experienced in the Rockies is in the range of 5 to 10 miles. Scope integration techniques are available to integrate accumulations over moderate sized watersheds. Radar can be particularly valuable in determining the representativeness of spot snow tube or pillow observations. Radar can also provide a unique tool for summarizing the rate of accumulation at all stages of snowpack developments. Formula development and data are shown in the text.