TY  - JOUR
A1  - Reusser, Dominik Edwin
A1  - Zehe, Erwin
T1  - Low-cost monitoring of snow height and thermal properties with inexpensive temperature sensors
JF  - Hydrological processes
N2  - Small, self-recording temperature sensors were installed at several heights along a metal rod at five locations in a case study catchment. For each sensor, the presence or absence of snow cover was determined on the basis of its insulating effect and the resulting reduction of the diurnal temperature oscillations. Sensor coverage was then converted into a time series of snow height for each location. Additionally, cold content was calculated. Snow height and cold content provide valuable information for spring flood prediction.
 Good agreement of estimated snow heights with reference measurements was achieved and increased discharge in the study catchment coincided with low cold content of the snow cover. The results of the proposed distributed assessment of snow cover and snow state show great potential for (i) flood warning, (ii) assimilation of snow state data and (iii) modelling snowmelt process.
KW  - snow measurements
KW  - cold content
KW  - temperature index approach
KW  - heat diffusion
KW  - temperature
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7937
SN  - 0885-6087
SN  - 1099-1085
VL  - 25
IS  - 12
SP  - 1841
EP  - 1852
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -