The old fashioned, but reliable way of forecasting water supply
in the West is to strap on snow shoes and stick a pipe into the
mountain snowpack. Now a researcher at Boise State University is
investigating whether a satellite could do the job better.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports. |Boise State University
geophysicist Hans-Peter Marshall (right) tests “snow radar” in
the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.| Irrigators, drinking water
utilities, dam operators, and fish biologists are just some of
the folks who keep close tabs on the mountain snowpack. On a
clear day, satellite pictures can show you snow covered areas.
But the pictures don’t reveal snow depth or water content -- key
facts for predicting stream flows. In the geosciences department
at Boise State University, Hans-Peter Marshall is experimenting
with what you might call airborne or space-based “snow radar.”
Hans-Peter Marshall: “You measure a reflection from the surface
of the snow and then a reflection from the ground. You time the
amount of time i