FMCW Radar Imaging of Avalanche-Like Snow Movements

Ash, M.; Brennan, P.V.; Chetty, K.; McElwaine, J.N.; Keylock, C.

Abstract

High quality field measurements of avalanche flows are required for calibrating computational models which are an essential tool in managing the threat posed by these flows. In this paper we present a new C-band FMCW radar system developed at University College London for gathering highresolution avalanche flow data. The radar employs a full deramp hardware architecture, a diverse set of frequency ramps, and an 8-channel receiver array. We also show initial results of a small-scale field trial carried out using a single channel prototype radar deployed in a snow chute. The results are presented as range-time plots. A simple calculation of the expected flow velocity due to gravity agrees with the estimated experimental value. The results demonstrate the capability of the radar system to record high range resolution microwave images of snow movements. The experiments reported here were carried out as a precursor to full trials of the radar system during which images of full scale avalanche flows will be captured.

Citation

Ash, M., Brennan, P., Chetty, K., McElwaine, J., & Keylock, C. (2010). FMCW Radar Imaging of Avalanche-Like Snow Movements. In Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Radar Conference: 10-14 May 2010, Arlington, Virginia, USA (102-107). https://doi.org/10.1109/radar.2010.5494643

• Conference Name: 2010 IEEE International Radar Conference
• Conference Location: Arlington, Virginia
• Online Publication Date: Jun 24, 2010
• Publication Date: 2010
• Deposit Date: May 23, 2013
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Pages: 102-107
• Book Title: Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Radar Conference: 10-14 May 2010, Arlington, Virginia, USA
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/radar.2010.5494643