UK radar system could improve avalanche analysis

The Advanced MIMO Radar Development for Geophysical Imaging Applications was created by scientists and engineers from University College London, Durham University and Sheffield University, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF). The system creates 3D images from inside powder clouds, where the movement of snow is obscured from sight. It is hoped the new data will provide researchers with a better understanding of avalanches to help mitigate their effects.

“It’s not possible to predict precisely when avalanches will happen, but our radar imaging system aids understanding of how they behave when they do occur,” said project leader Professor Paul Brennan, from UCL.

“By penetrating the powder cloud, it can observe the nature and direction of the flow of the 90 per cent of snow that would otherwise remain invisible.”

The radar system uses an antenna to transmit radio waves and a 1.95m receiver array to capture them as they reflect back from the snow. According to the researchers, it provides greater sensitivity and higher resolution images than any other similar system previously developed.