Snow Distributed Radar Observation Platform (SnowDROP) is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission design concept which aims to observe snow density, stratigraphy and microstructure from remote sensing data. Such retrievals will improve snowpack representation in predictive models, and support a range of applications including avalanche forecasting, hydrology and climate research.
User requirements survey
A key objective of SnowDROP is to ensure that mission design is driven by the needs of the user community. In a previous survey for the Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (PoSARA) satellite mission concept responses highlighted a need for ”instruments specifically designed for measurements of snow microstructure, depth and density at scales of 20km or less”. This survey aims to gather input from researchers and experts working with snow to better understand the observational requirements for snow properties such as stratigraphy, density and microstructure. The survey has 21 questions and takes approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete.