Excellence in Snow Measurement
Snow Measurement 2013
Agenda
» Introduction
» Snow height sensor - USH-8
» Snow Water Equivalent sensor - SSG
» Snow Pack Analyser – SPA
General Product Presentation 2013
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Introduction
For more than 25 years Sommer GmbH has developed and
produced high quality sensors for meterological, hydrological and
geological applications.
Since 1989 Sommer has put a special focus on snow
measurement and avalanche warning systems and developed
robust sensors for determination of
» Snow height
» Snow temperature
» Snow water equivalent
» Liquid water content in snow pack
» Snow melt-off prediction
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Introduction
» Snow covers more than 60% of the Northern hemisphere
» Snow is an important freshwater resource
» Water will be more and more valuable
» Environmental damages - flood management, avalanche service
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Introduction
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Introduction
global radiation
lightning protection
snow depth (ultrasonic)
GSM / GPRS antenna
(radio transmission)
solar panel
snow surface temperature
(infrared)
air temperature and humidity
snow temperature profile
(snow-covered)
measurement system enclosure
SWE sensor
(snow-covered)
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USH-8 SNOW DEPTH SENSOR
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USH-8 Snow Depth Sensor
»
Continuous and contact-free ultrasonic snow depth sensor
»
Designed for extreme conditions
»
Robust sealed ceramic membrane
»
Correct measurement during snowfall and snow drift
»
Protective shield against icing
»
Integrated lightning protection
»
High measuring accuracy due to integrated temperature
compensation
»
»
Energy-saving sensor operation
»
Standby“ between measuring phases
»
Ideal for solar-powered stations
Simple sensor integration
»
Analogue and digital interface
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USH-8 Snow Depth Sensor
Interface
»
»
Analog:
»
Output: Snow depth
»
4 - 20mA (configurable)
»
Max. load 300 Ω
Digital:
»
Output: Snow depth, air temp., quality flag
»
Connection via RS 232
»
Various ASCII formats supported
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USH-8 Snow Depth Sensor
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H (m)
Ø (m)
DB (m)
2
0,4
1,0
3
0,6
1,2
4
0,8
1,4
5
1,1
1,6
6
1,3
1,8
7
1,5
2,0
8
1,7
2,2
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USH-8 Snow Depth Sensor
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SSG – SNOW WATER
EQUIVALENT SENSOR
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SSG – SWE Sensor
»
Continuous measurement of Snow-Water-Equivalent
(SWE)
»
Minimization of ice bridging effects
»
Optimized thermal flow between sensor and ground
due to perforated aluminium sheets, providing high
accuracy during the melting process
»
Robust and long life aluminum construction
»
Measure up to 200 / 500 / 1.000 / 2000 mm of SWE
»
No antifreeze liquid required
»
Simple system integration
»
No preparation of the measuring site required
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SSG – SWE Sensor
»
Higher accuracy during melting process compared to snow pillow.
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SSG – SWE Sensor
Modular construction, no part heavier than 10 kg
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SPA – SNOW PACK
ANALYSER
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SPA – Snow Pack Analyser
»
The Snow Pack Analyser is a unique system for automatic and continuous measurement
of all relevant snow parameters.
»
Snow depth
»
Snow density
»
Snow water equivalent (SWE)
»
Content of liquid water and ice
»
Standard SPA for up to 2m snow
height. Others on request
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SPA – Snow Pack Analyser
»
Automatic, continuous measurement
»
Energy-saving sensor operation
»
“Standby“ between the measuring phases
»
Ideal for solar-powered stations
»
No measurement errors caused by ice layers
»
Possible installation at hillsides
»
System assembly on demand
»
Information about
»
the whole snow pack
»
At a specific snow depth level (with multiple
sensors at different heights)
»
an extended area, by measuring with up to 4
SPA-sensors
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SPA – Snow Pack Analyser
SPA Measurement Príncipe
»
Three components of snow are
determined:
»
»
Ice
»
Liquid water
»
Air
The dielectric constant between ice, water
and air is different
»
The dielectric constant is determined by
complex impedance measurements
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SWE from SPA and snow pillow
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Snow density at 10 cm near ground
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Run-off prediction
C
A
B
Point A
Point B
Point C
»
Snow compression starts
»
Significant increase
»
Run-off starts
»
SWE constant
of liquid water
»
SWE decreases
content prior to the
start of the run-off
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SPA – Snow Pack Analyser
» Forecast of water capacity from snow melt and run-off
» Flood prevention
» Management of hydro power resources
» Liquid water content
» Prediction of wet snow avalanches
» Flood prediction
» Large areal resolution
» Calibration of remote sensing data
» Calibration of numeric models
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SPA – Snow Pack Analyser
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Thank you for your attention!
Wolfram Sommer
Matthias Kaufmann
CEO
Director International Sales
wolfram.sommer@sommer.at
matthias.kaufmann@sommer.at
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