Snowpack snow water equivalent measurement using the attenuation of cosmic gamma radiation
- Univ. of California, Soda Springs, CA (United States). Central Sierra Snow Lab.
- California Dept. of Water Resources, Sacramento, CA (United States)
- Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
Incoming, background cosmic radiation constantly fluxes through the earth`s atmosphere. The high energy gamma portion of this radiation penetrates many terrestrial objects, including the winter snowpack. The attenuation of this radiation is exponentially related to the mass of the medium through which it penetrates. For the past three winters, a device measuring cosmic gamma radiation--and its attenuation through snow--has been installed at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, near Donner Pass, California. This gamma sensor, measuring energy levels between 5 and 15 MeV, has proved to be an accurate, reliable, non-invasive, non-mechanical instrument with which to measure the total snow water equivalent of a snowpack. This paper analyzes three winters` worth of data and discusses the physics and practical application of the sensor for the collection of snow water equivalent data from a remote location.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 677181
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--98-8534C; CONF-980494--; ON: DE98052860
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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