Muoniverse Snow Water Equivalent

This project is part of a much larger effort, the NCCR Muoniverse proposal. SLF will only be involved in the development of a new snow water equivalent (SWE) sensor. 

In mountainous areas, the evaluation of water resources has to take into account the water stored as snow, or snow water equivalent (SWE). This is critical for flood forecasting, hydropower production or irrigation management. Moreover, SWE is an essential variable in monitoring climate change. Current SWE measuring techniques are not able to achieve continuous readout operation at a reasonable cost and accuracy. This project builds upon a proof-of-concept experiment successfully performed in 2023 and aims to use the pixel-detector technology developed in the context of particle-physics experiments in a novel SWE sensor for accurate, affordable and automated continuous measurement based on cosmic-ray muons. This would be a breakthrough for all regions where snow is a significant water resource.