SNOWWI — Snow Water-equivalent Wide Swath Interferometer and Scatterometer (SNOWWI)

In this response to the 2021 ESTO Instrument Incubator Program research announcement, the University of Massachusetts (UMass), the University of Michigan (UMich), Boise State University, and Capella Space are partnering to create an advancement in using snow surface and volume scattering characteristics for estimating the snowpack characteristics of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), snow density and snow depth, all Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) that are used to quantify water resources, land- and ice-surface albedo. The basis of the work is centered around four basic activities: 1.) airborne instrument development, 2.) ground calibration and validation campaigns, 3.) theoretical development, and 4.) the transition of these activities into a realizable spaceborne design. The fundamentals of the remote sensing technology development are the use of high-resolution volume and surface scattering signatures that occur in a dual-frequency Ku-band regime and can be expanded upon through the use of ancillary sensors, such as ESA's Sentinel-1 C-band mission which has demonstrated a useful sensitivity to deep snow, and changes in snow cover in mountainous regions

Enabling lower cost innovative remote sensing instrument development from concept through breadboard and demonstration

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