Snowpack time-series ground truth via a low-power datalogger

A useful means of calibrating remote sensing retrieval algorithms is by means of a time series of ground truth measurements at specific locations. For snow depth (SD) or snow water equivalent (SWE), ground truth regarding snow density and snow grain size stratigraphy is provided manually via snow pits. While the data is of high quality, this method is time consuming and labor intensive and thus precludes significant durations of time series data. A low power device is presented for logging snow temperature, density, wetness and specific surface area in a small region adjacent to the device. Low cost enables multiple devices to operate simultaneously to capture vertical stratigraphy or lateral variability. Operation, calibration, and initial measurements are presented.