 Environmental Monitoring & Control Systems |
Toll Free (800) 948-6236 |
| Environmental Monitoring & Control Systems |
Toll Free (800) 948-6236 |
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Snow Monitoring SystemsWe have worked with ski resorts, cabin owners, architects and engineers to select and design many different types of snow monitoring systems. There are only a few options to monitor and record snow level or snow water equivelant data. Often it is needed to find a way to report or alarm that data to end users and researches in remote locations. Below we have listed the systems and sensors we recommend. Please contact us for a no obligation consultation. Snow Depth
We currently maintain two stations at our local ski resort and use the data from the sensors to update a web page. These types of systems can report data to the web, send text or email reports or have a local PC display the data. We have installed these types of systems at other locations. Examples would be Alpine Ski Resort and Dodge Ridge Ski Resort both use similar equipment and use the data for operations and marketing purposes. Snow Making
The wet bulb temperature is a function of the dry bulb temperature and the relative humidity, the amount of water vapor in the air. Liquid or solid water cools itself by evaporating some water as water vapor. This releases heat, and so lowers the energy level in the water. When there is more water vapor in the atmosphere, water or snow can't evaporate as much because the air is already saturated with water to a high degree. Consequently, water cools more slowly when the humidity is high, and more quickly when the humidity is low. For this reason, humidity is a very important factor in determining snow conditions. If the humidity level is low enough, you can actually get snow even when the dry bulb temperature is several degrees above freezing. If the relative humidity is 100 percent, then the wet bulb temperature and the dry bulb temperature will be exactly the same. But even if both are at the freezing temperature, you might get rain instead of snow because the air saturation slows the cooling process down so much. If the temperature is around 30 F (-1 C), you need a fairly low relative humidity (less than 30 percent) for good snow-making conditions. If the temperature is less than 20 F (-6.7 C), you can make snow fairly easily even if the relative humidity is 100 percent. A temperature in the teens is ideal for snow-making. Snowmaking, while usually used at ski areas, is also used for frost protection on construction projects, freeze protection of crops, automotive and aircraft testing, and sewage disposal.
Our systems are also compatible with most SCADA or PLC systems and can be interfaced into these systems to provide this data to managers.
Avalanche Warning - Instruments for Cold Region Monitoring and Research
Long-term, unattended station operation is achieved with low-power use, batteries and solar panels, wireless data retrieval, and large onboard data storage capacity. Fitted with snow depth sensors or attached to custom snow condition sensors, our weather stations report snow conditions and meteorological conditions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. SensorsAlmost any sensor can be measured by our dataloggers, allowing stations to be customized for each site. Typical sensors used with our stations include, but are not limited to: relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, air temperature, water temperature, soil temperature, precipitation, snow depth, barometric pressure, soil moisture, as well as strain gages, accelerometers, pressure transducers, GPS receivers, linear potentiometers, and many more. Data RetrievalWe offer multiple communications options for data retrieval, allowing stations to meet exact needs. Telecommunication options include radio frequency, satellite (Argos, GOES, Inmarsat-C), telephone (landline, voice-synthesized, cellular), short-haul, and multidrop. On-site options include storage module, laptop computer, and datalogger keyboard/display. Robust error-checking and low-power use ensure your data arrives uncorrupted and as scheduled. We can even help you post your data to the Internet. SoftwareOur Windows-based software simplifies datalogger programming, data retrieval, and report generation. The datalogger program can be modified at any time to accommodate different sensor configurations or new data processing requirements. Application Note - Utah 2002 Winter Olympics Related Link: Utah Avalanche Center Snow Water EquivalencyMany researchers and resource mangares want to record snow water data. This can be a difficult proposition in remote areas. We offer a few options to assist in collecting snow precipitation data. Heated Rain Gauge Many rain gauges can have an optional heater installed to melt the snow as it enters the funnel, this will create a tip or add weight to the container and the data is recorded as standard rain type data. This is a very useful option, but there are some drawbacks. A heated rain gauge requires a fairly large amount of power. Most heated rain gauges are installed where there is AC power available. We do offer a couple of battery (DC powered) systems, but they still require large batteries and solar panels to operate effectively. GMON3 Gamma Ray Sensor (replaces the need for snow pillows)
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Snow depth is most often measured using an ultrasonic or radar sensor. The sensor is placed on an arm outstretched over the area to be monitoried and the signal of the sensor is bounced off the snow surface. This type of system is used very frequently in reporting snow levels at ski resorts and high mountain areas that require this type of information. We have worked with cabin owners and winter resorts to provide systems that alert resort or homeowners to the presence of snow, and also for ski resorts to report on snow totals and snow status for maintenance and as a marketing tool to inform skiers of the snow amounts. 
We offer complete 
Data Collection Software
From single stations to large networks, Campbell Scientific's automated weather stations provide real-time weather and snow depth data to those assessing avalanche potential. Our systems see use in and around ski areas, winter recreation areas, mountain towns, major highways, and other critical infrastructure.
The GMON3 uses an innovative, non-contact method of measuring snow water equivalency (SWE). It monitors gamma rays that are naturally emitted from the ground. An attenuation of the gamma ray emissions occurs as snow accumulates. Snow with a higher water-content level causes a higher attenuation of the gamma ray emissions, making it possible to calculate SWE from the gamma ray measurements. It is mounted above the ground and has no contact with the snow.