Measurement campaign at Jungfraujoch
Our team successfully carried out a radar measurement campaign with duration of several weeks at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch. The measurements focused on exploration of novel concepts of radar observations of snow cover, as well as on performing combined measurements of snow cover in collaboration with research groups from other institutes.
The measurement campaign required a coordinated effort of several teams. The radar team focused on assembling and operating the radar equipment from a vantage point overlooking the Aletsch Glacier, while the field team deployed calibration targets within the area of interest directly on top of the glacier, as well as collected in-situ data of snow properties for later referencing.
The measurement campaign was coordinated with several other groups from Swiss institutes as well as institutes from other European countries, in order to be able to combine and cross-reference measurement values obtained using various methods and approaches. These ranged from radar observations, through specialized measurements at optical frequencies, to in-situ measurements performed using more "old-fashioned" methods such as weighing the snow to measure snow density. The logistical challenge was exacerbated by the fact that all activities needed to be performed in the hostile environment of an Alpine glacier, combined with fast-changing winter weather patterns at 3500-meter altitude. The facilities of the Jungfraujoch research station HFSJG were a great asset in these challenging conditions.
The campaign yielded valuable data for evaluation of novel methods of snow property retrieval using radar systems. Data evaluation will proceed in the next several months. We thank all participants from the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and the German Aerospace Center DLR for their contributions to the campaign, as well as the staff of the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch HFSJG for their support during our stay.