Snow particle analyzer for simultaneous measurements of snow density and morphology

Abstract

The detailed characterization of snow particles is critical for understanding the snow settling behavior and modeling the ground snow accumulation for various applications such as prevention of avalanches and snowmelt-caused floods, etc. In this study, we present a snow particle analyzer for simultaneous measurements of various properties of fresh falling snow, including their concentration, size, shape, type, and density. The analyzer consists of a digital inline holography module for imaging falling snow particles in a sample volume of 88 cm3 and a high-precision scale to measure the weight of the same particles in a synchronized fashion. The holographic images are processed in real-time using a machine learning model and post-processing to determine snow particle concentration, size, shape, and type. Such information is used to obtain the estimated volume, which is subsequently correlated with the weight of snow particles to estimate their density. The performance of the analyzer is assessed using monodispersed spherical glass beads and irregular salt crystals with known density, which shows <5% density measurement errors. In addition, the analyzer was tested in a number of field deployments under different snow and wind conditions. The system is able to achieve measurements of various snow properties at single particle resolution and statistical robustness. The analyzer was also deployed for four hours of operation during a snow event with changing snow and wind conditions, demonstrating its ability for long-term and real-time monitoring of the time-varying snow properties in the field.