Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5079-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5079-2021
Review article
 | 
04 Nov 2021
Review article |  | 04 Nov 2021

Review article: Performance assessment of radiation-based field sensors for monitoring the water equivalent of snow cover (SWE)

Alain Royer, Alexandre Roy, Sylvain Jutras, and Alexandre Langlois

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Cited articles

Alonso, R., del Pozo, J. M. G., Buisaìn, S. T., and Aìlvarez, J. A: Analysis of the Snow Water Equivalent at the AEMet-Formigal Field Laboratory (Spanish Pyrenees) during the 2019/2020 winter season using a Stepped-Frequency Continuous Wave Radar (SFCW), Remote Sens., 13, 616, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13040616, 2021. 
Andreasen, M., Jensen, K. H., Desilets, D., Franz, T., Zreda, M., Bogena, H., and Looms, M. C.: Status and perspectives of the cosmic-ray neutron method for soil moisture estimation and other environmental science applications, Vadose Zone J., 16, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.04.0086, 2017. 
Appel, F., Koch, F., Rösel, A., Klug, P., Henkel, P., Lamm, M., Mauser, W., and Bach, H.: Advances in Snow Hydrology Using a Combined Approach of GNSS In Situ Stations, Hydrological Modelling and Earth Observation – A Case Study in Canada, Geosciences, 9, 44, https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9010044, 2019. 
Berezovskaya, S. and Kane, D. L.: Strategies for measuring snow water equivalent for hydrological applications: Part 1, accuracy of measurements. Proceedings of 16th Northern Research Basin Symposium, Petrozavodsk, Russia, 22–35, 2007. 
Bissell, V. C. and Peck, E. L.: Monitoring snow water equivalent by using natural soil radioactivity, Water Resour. Res., 9, 885–890, 1973. 
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Short summary
Dense spatially distributed networks of autonomous instruments for continuously measuring the amount of snow on the ground are needed for operational water resource and flood management and the monitoring of northern climate change. Four new-generation non-invasive sensors are compared. A review of their advantages, drawbacks and accuracy is discussed. This performance analysis is intended to help researchers and decision-makers choose the one system that is best suited to their needs.