Abstract
Snow water equivalent of a snowpack can be estimated using groundβpenetrating radar from the radar wave twoβway travel time. However, such estimates often have low accuracy when the snowpack contains liquid water. If snow wetness is known, it is possible to take it into account in the estimates; it is therefore desirable to be able to determine snow wetness from already available radar data. Our approach is based on using radar wave attenuation, and it requires that the relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow should be known. This relationship has been tentatively established in previous laboratory experiments, but only for a specific liquid water salinity and radar frequency. This article presents the results of new laboratory experiments conducted to investigate if and how this relationship is influenced by salinity. In each experiment, a certain amount of snow was melted and a known amount of salt (different for different experiments) was added to the water. Water salinity was measured, and the water was added stepβwise to a oneβmeter thick snowpack, with radar measurements taken between additions of water. Our experiments have confirmed the earlier established linear relationship between electrical conductivity and wetness of snow, and they allow us to suggest that the influence of liquid water salinity on electrical conductivity is negligible when compared to the influence of liquid water content in snow. Copyright Β© 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.