Development of autonomous radar for remotely measuring snow and ice thickness over lakes and rivers / Radar automatique de mesures de l'épaisseur de neige et glace de lacs

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The proposal consists of cooperation between the Center for applications and research in remote sensing (CARTEL) of the Université de Sherbrooke (Department of applied geomatics) and a private partner, Campbell Scientific Canada (CSC), for developing an automatic system measuring snow depth and lake/river ice thickness. The system includes a Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar and an electronic box for radar control and data recording/archiving. The retrieval, currently under development, is based on a real-time automatic extraction algorithm of both ice and snow thickness. In 2015, we demonstrated the potential of this system for ice thickness measurements with an accuracy of ±2 cm with a preliminary handheld prototype. This system could also be used in a standalone mode at a fixed location for meteorology (automatic weather station), or embedded in a vehicle (ex, snowmobile or trucks on ice roads), or used on drones for mapping lake and river ice safely. The objectives of this project are first to improve the actual prototype and to confirm the preliminary accuracy results. We then want to demonstrate and validate the feasibility of the other proposed modes. Campbell Scientific Canada, leader in measurement and control products for weather and climate monitoring, is our industrial partner in this innovative project having a strong commercial potential. The proposed sensor will be used for environmental and cryospheric applications such as meteorology, hydro-meteorology and climate reporting as well as in winter recreational applications. This Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) Grant will allow the transfer of this new technology to CSC.