A snow pillow measures the water content of snowpacks, important for predicting avalanches, water resources, and winter sports safety. The device uses hydrostatic pressure to measure the amount of water in the snow and can be automated and remotely monitored. Maintenance is required, and vandalism can be a problem.
A snow pillow measures the water content of the snowpack, the snow that accumulates on the ground. Such measurements are important for health and safety in areas where there are concerns about avalanches and other occurrences. They can also help meteorologists predict water resources, as snowmelt is a significant source of water in some regions. There may also be concerns about snow quality and depth in areas where winter sports such as skiing are popular or in communities where snow-caused roof landslides are a known problem.
The device consists of stainless steel sheets that form an airtight cushion filled with an antifreeze solution. The snow cushion is carefully calibrated so that as snow settles on the steel and displaces the antifreeze, the equipment can measure hydrostatic pressure. This is the pressure created by water at rest and provides insight into how much water is in the snowpack. Because snow can fall in a variety of ways and can be of varying densities, knowing how deep the snow is is not enough to determine how much water it contains.
One advantage of the snow pillow design is that it can be automated. The measurements generated by the equipment can be transmitted by radio or satellite to a base station. Weather observation stations may include thermometers, wind sensors, and other data-returning devices. This allows for the collection of key intelligence in remote areas that would be difficult or impossible to access in the winter months. Multiple stations can be installed at key locations, sometimes with multiple snow cushion installations to ensure that equipment failure does not make measurement collection impossible.
Scientific instrument makers sometimes produce snow pillows along with ancillary equipment. It is also possible to manufacture them, an approach taken in some regions. Upon installing the device, scientists can also insert probes into the soil to collect data on soil temperature and moisture. A snow cushion requires periodic maintenance, which can be done in the summer months when it is safe to enter remote areas.
Weather station equipment can be damaged by bad weather and animal activity. Some are also prone to vandalism, for a variety of reasons. If a station is in an area where vandalism is a problem, it can be fenced off and placed with no access signs to deter unwanted human visitors. If researchers can’t collect data from one or more stations, it could hamper their ability to make accurate predictions about weather and water supplies.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
