Comparaison between different types of snow drift sensors

Abstract

Wind-transported snow is a common phenomenon in cold windy areas such as mountainous and polar regions. The resulting snowdrifts often cause problems for infrastructure and road maintenance and contribute significantly to the loading of the avalanche release area. It also reduces visibility. It is very important to better determine drift snow fluxes in the framework of forecast or mitigation. This article reviews the different technologies available such as mechanical traps, acoustic or optical sensors. It bases its conclusion on essays carried out in wind tunnels and in situ at the Col du Lac Blanc experimental site, which is dedicated to the study of drift snow. If acoustic sensors are not as promising as expected, optical sensors give accurate results. However, in this case the measurement area is small. The coupling with a theoretical approach is therefore still indispensable.