A Study of a Parametric Method for the Snow Reflection Coefficient Estimation Using Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Waves

Abstract

In this paper, a method for estimating snow pressure reflection coefficient based on non-contact ultrasound examination is described. A constant frequency and air-coupled ultrasound pulses were used in this study, which incorporates a parametric method for reflected energy estimation. The experimental part was carried out in situ in the Antarctic, where the snow parameters were measured along with meteorological data. The proposed method represents a promising alternative for estimating the snow-water equivalent, since it uses a parametric approach, which does not require measurements of absolute values for acoustic pressure.

Keywords

• air-coupled ultrasound
• snow parameters
• digital signal processing