Global Change Master Directory (GCMD)

Data Sets

Services / Tools

Ancillary Descriptions

Are you using a browser that doesn't support JavaScript or have you disabled JavaScript?

If you have disabled JavaScript, you must re-enable JavaScript to use this page.
Or you can view this record using the Text Only Format.

CLPX-Ground: Ground-Based Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Radar

Entry ID: NSIDC-0164

[ Get Data ]
[ Update this Record ]

Summary

Abstract: This data set is comprised of FMCW radar measurements, which are sensitive to electromagnetic discontinuities in the snowpack, made during the 2002 and 2003 Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX). The microwave interaction with a snow pack was measured using broadband frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar operating at between 2 and 18 GHz, incorporating the following frequencies: ... C-Band (2-6 GHz), X-Band (8-12 GHz), and Ku-Band (14-18 GHz). Measurements were made at the Local Scale Observation Site (LSOS) near Fraser, Colorado, during Intensive Observation Periods (IOP) 1 and 2 (February and March, 2002), and at four different sites covering each of the three Mesocell Study Areas (MSAs) during IOP 3 and 4 (February and March, 2003). Active microwave radar signals are reflected and scattered by electromagnetic discontinuities that affect radar backscatter signatures. The location and magnitude of these discontinuities in a snow pack must be identified as a function of microwave frequency in order to accurately invert snow cover properties from active and passive microwave remote sensing systems. Consequently, in conjunction with the radar measurements, detailed snow pit measurements were taken at a nearby site in order to correlate the radar profile with the snow pit records. This investigation found that radar operating at 14-18 GHz contains the most information about the internal features of a dry snow pack. However, the high-frequency radar is of limited use in wet snow due to the high absorption loss in water. For a wet snowpack, radar operating at lower frequencies (2-6 GHz) was necessary for penetrating to the snow-ground interface. These findings suggest that a dual-frequency approach for radar remote sensing may be necessary to retrieve snow pack parameters such as density, depth, and wetness. The NASA CLPX is a multi-sensor, multi-scale experiment that focuses on extending a local-scale understanding of wa
ter fluxes, storage, and transformations to regional and global scale
s. Within a framework of nested study areas in the central Rocky Mountains of the western United States, ranging from 1-ha to 160,000 km2, intensive ground, airborne, and spaceborne observations are collected. Data collection focuses on two seasons: mid-winter, when conditions are generally frozen and dry, and early spring, a transitional period when both frozen and thawed, dry and wet conditions are widespread.

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Project web site

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 40.64

S: 39.83

E: -105.77

W: -106.68

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: Hans-Peter Marshall

Dataset Title: CLPX-Ground: Ground-Based Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Radar

Dataset Release Date: 2004-11-22

Dataset Release Place: Boulder, CO

Dataset Publisher: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)

Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0164.html

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2002-02-19

Stop Date: 2002-03-26

Start Date: 2003-02-19

Stop Date: 2003-03-29

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > Colorado, Wyoming

CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

Science Keywords

CRYOSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW COVER

CRYOSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW DEPTH

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Project

EOSDIS > Earth Observing System Data Information System

ESIP > Earth Science Information Partners Program

CLPX > Cold Land Processes Field Experiment

Ancillary Keywords

continuous wave radar

Radar

Snow Depth

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center

Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/daac/index.html
Dataset ID: NSIDC-0164

Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC USER SERVICES Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199 Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468 Email: nsidc at nsidc.org Contact Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center CIRES, 449 UCB University of Colorado City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0449 Country: USA

National Snow and Ice Data Center

Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Dataset ID: NSIDC-0164

Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC USER SERVICES Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199 Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468 Email: nsidc at nsidc.org Contact Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center CIRES, 449 UCB University of Colorado City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0449 Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Media: FTP

Distribution Size: 17 KB to 11.2 MB

Distribution Format: Binary and comma-delimited ASCII. Images of radar scans in JPEG.

Personnel

HANS-PETER MARSHALL

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Contact Address:

Campus Box 450

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80309-0422

Country: USA

NSIDC USER SERVICES

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199

Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468

Email: nsidc at nsidc.org

Contact Address:

National Snow and Ice Data Center

CIRES, 449 UCB

University of Colorado

City: Boulder

Province or State: CO

Postal Code: 80309-0449

Country: USA

Publications/References

Koh, G. and R. Jordan. 1995. Subsurface melting in a seasonal snow cover. J.GLAC, 41(139):474-482.

Koh, G., N.D. Mulherin, J.P. Hardy, R.E. Davis, and A. Twombly. 2002. Microwave Interaction with Snowpack Observed at the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment. 59th Eastern Snow Conference, Stowe, Vermont, USA 2002.

Koh, G. N.E. Yankielun and A.I. Baptista. 1996. Snow ...

Extended Metadata Properties

(Click to view more)

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2004-11-22

Last DIF Revision Date: 2010-03-04

Reformat as FGDC document

View Text Only Format

[ Update this Record ]