Acoustic sensing can measure snow permeability at spatially averaged, selectable scales

Evidence

Since the effective flow resistivity is proportional to the dynamic viscosity of air divided by the snow permeability, this acoustic waveform inversion method may lead to a useful method of determining snow permeability, a parameter that is currently difficult to measure but of great importance in snow science. Acoustic measurements also have the advantage of determining a spatially averaged permeability value at a scale selectable by the propagation path. This capability is an improvement over current laboratory and field measurements, which are limited to point samples and small sample sizes. — Donald G. Albert, Acoustic Waveform Inversion with…, 115

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the physical relationship: effective flow resistivity equals air’s dynamic viscosity divided by snow permeability — the key mechanism behind snow’s sound absorption.
• QUESTION: How does acoustic permeability measurement compare in reliability to direct Chacho/Johnson snow air permeability methods? Worth chasing the technical basis.
• XREF: connects to: Snow is the most sound-absorbent natural ground cover — Donald G. Albert, Acoustic Waveform Inversion with…, 5

Related

• Donald G. Albert — Acoustic Waveform Inversion with Application to Seasonal Snow Covers (similarity 0.86)
• Snow is the most sound-absorbent natural ground cover (similarity 0.85)
• Snow exceeds other natural surfaces in sound absorption by a large margin. (similarity 0.84)
• Scientists ignored snow microstructure’s acoustic effect until the 1950s (similarity 0.84)
• Effective flow resistivity is the dominant ground absorption parameter. (similarity 0.82)