Cosmic Rays Neutron Sensing is a mature Technology for SWE Measurement
Snow represents a fundamental water resource for mountain and lowland areas. Despite its relevance, the monitoring of the equivalent amount of water stored in mountain snowpack (Snow Water Equivalent – SWE) poses great challenges due to the remoteness and elevation of the areas of interest. The paucity and uncertainties of SWE estimations are therefore common issues, which entails an urgent need for proximal sensors providing continuous and reliable measurements. Systems based on Cosmic-Rays Neutron Sensing (CRNS) have reached a level of maturity suitable for widespread field application in remote areas. After proper calibration, a CRNS probe can infer SWE from the detection of neutrons, particles flowing from space and strongly interacting with water. During the 2023/2024 winter season, 20 Finapp CRNS systems were operative on the mountains of the Veneto region, Italy. They were deployed by the Regional Agency of Environmental Protection of Veneto (ARPAV) and integrated into the pre-existing meteo-nivological stations network. We here present the performance assessment of the CRNS measurements by comparing them with SWE values obtained from field campaigns and computational models.
