Abstract
Despite the important hydrological and ecological implications of the
snowpack, its real time monitoring remains challenging. This is
particularly relevant in relation to the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), as
the available technologies which measure it, exhibit a number of
limitations that difficults their operational implementation. In this
work, we explore the potential of a new technology, Muon Scattering
Radiography (MSR), to infer the SWE. We coupled snowpack simulations
generated by the SNOWPACK model, with a muon scattering simulation
program based on GEANT4. The SWE is modelled as a function of the muon
scattering distributions. Predictions of the SWE along the year are
provided showing a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 12 mm for 5 hour
continuous measurements. We also performed laboratory measurements using
ice samples, confirming the SWE estimation capabilities and the
potential of the technique to operate as a SWE monitoring tool.