Earth Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Biomass Water Dynamics In Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensor Observations: A Long-Term Analysis Of Maize–Soybean Rotation In Nebraska, Tanessa Morris

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The precise measurement of soil water content (SWC) is crucial for effective water resource management. This study utilizes the Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensor (CRNS) for area-averaged SWC measurements, emphasizing the need to consider all hydrogen sources, including the time-variable ones like plant biomass and water content. Chapter 1 presents a background on soil moisture estimation, CRNS technology, and an overview of the study. It discusses various soil moisture measurement techniques, highlights the gap in knowledge addressed by CRNS technology, explains CRNS functionality and advancements, and outlines the study's motivations and methods.

Chapter 2 reports a study conducted near Mead, Nebraska, …

Improved Hydrologic Modeling And Geophysical Imaging Of Critical Zones: Incorporating Structural And Temporal Constraints, Hang Chen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Earth's critical zone (CZ) is a life-sustaining layer extending from the canopy of the tree to the bottom of the active groundwater circulation, providing valuable resources to terrestrial life, including nutrients, minerals, and fresh water. There are many challenges in studying various processes within and the function of the CZ. This dissertation addresses two common challenges in studying the CZ hydrology and watershed function, which are critical for a predictive understanding of the water dynamics in mountainous terrain and for an informed management of future water resources under rapid climate change. These challenges include (1) accurate quantification of hydrological …

Triggers Of Rapid Change In Glacier Dynamics, Jukes Liu

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The loss of land ice has become the greatest contributor to global mean sea level rise since 2006 (Oppenheimer et al., 2019). Glaciers have contributed ∼20% to global sea level rise over the last ∼2 decades (Oppenheimer et al., 2019; Hugonnet et al., 2021), while the ice sheets have contributed 33% (Oppenheimer et al., 2019). For the outlet glaciers and ice streams that drain the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, changes to their dynamics (flow speed, thickness, and length) dominate their present and future mass loss (King et al., 2020; Diener et al., 2021). One of the main limitations in …

On The Use Of Elastic Waves To Study Snow Microstructure And Mechanical Properties: A Look From The Lenses Of Laser Ultrasound And Time-Lapse Seismic, J. Christopher Mccaslin

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Accurate knowledge of the mechanical and microstructural properties of snow is essential to improve snow science and engineering applications. In this dissertation, I investigated the use of ultrasound to quantify certain snow properties with a non-contacting laser ultrasound system (LUS), then I applied the knowledge gained from a small controlled lab-based method to a larger field-based active-source seismic method.

I first evaluated two different LUS devices to determine which one produced more accurate ultrasound observations in analog snow (i.e. shaved ice). The PSV-400 Scanning Vibrometer was found to provide higher quality ultrasound observations compared to the VibroFlex Fiber Vibrometer. Using …

Utilizing Electrical Geophysical Methods To Map Mycorrhizal Mycelium Networks Non-Invasively, Donald Pesonen

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Mycorrhizal mycelium networks are a key component to forest health. These networks act as a transportation system for nutrients, are major players in carbon and nitrogen cycling, and can provide some level of drought resistance to the surrounding flora. Due to the location and size of these network’s filaments, studying mycelium non-invasively has been difficult. The alternative method of laboratory grown samples, lacks the important environmental factors that play into the growth and development of mycelium. Mycelium’s inherent conductivity and moisture retention allows for these networks to be a viable target for electrical geophysical equipment. CMD-Tiny, a small shallow depth …

A Cold Laboratory Hyperspectral Imaging System To Map Grain Size And Ice Layer Distributions In Firn Cores, Ian E. Mcdowell, Kaitlin M. Keegan, S. Mckenzie Skiles, Christopher P. Donahue, Erich C. Osterberg, Robert L. Hawley, Hans-Peter Marshall

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are covered in a layer of porous firn. Knowledge of firn structure improves our understanding of ice sheet mass balance, supra- and englacial hydrology, and ice core paleoclimate records. While macroscale firn properties, such as firn density, are relatively easy to measure in the field or lab, more intensive measurements of microstructural properties are necessary to reduce uncertainty in remote sensing observations of mass balance, model meltwater infiltration, and constrain ice age – gas age differences in ice cores. Additionally, as the duration and extent of surface melting increases, refreezing meltwater will greatly alter …

Estimating Crustal Thickness In Northwest Louisiana Using The Receiver Function Method, Delton Samuel

LSU Master's Theses

I aim to constrain the crustal thickness of the Sabine Block in the Sabine Uplift region of northwest Louisiana, using the frequency domain receiver function deconvolution technique followed by H-κ stacking. The passive margin on the southern edge of the North American continent experienced an active tectonic history, including the spreading events that led to the formation of the Gulf of Mexico. A previous study proposed the Sabine Block is a residual fragment of Proterozoic orogenic origin; however, its full extent and geometry are up for debate. It is now overlain by thick sedimentary sequences ranging from ~4-6 km deposited …

Paleozoic Evolution Of The Yukon-Tanana Terrane Of The North American Cordillera, Nw British Columbia, R. Soucy La Roche, A. Zagorevski, N. L. Joyce, J. L. Crowley

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The origins and primary relationships between tectono-stratigraphic units are fundamental to the terrane concept in accretionary orogens, but they are challenging to assess in metamorphic terranes. In NW British Columbia, three tectonically bounded metamorphic suites of the Yukon-Tanana terrane formed in distinct tectonic settings, based on high-spatial-resolution geochronology and immobile trace-element geochemistry. The Florence Range suite comprises late Neoproterozoic or younger to pre–latest Devonian metasedimentary rocks derived from continental crust, 360 ± 4 Ma calc-alkaline intermediate orthogneiss, and 357 ± 4 Ma amphibolite with oceanic-island basalt composition, consistent with rifting of a continental margin. The detrital signature is dominated by …

Transport Of Multi-Phase Multi-Component Fluids In The Shallow Subsurface Influenced By Soil And Surface Boundary Conditions: Experimental And Numerical Study With Application To Natural Gas Leakage, Navodi Jayarathne

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

With the increased use of Natural Gas (NG) as a source of fuel, underground leak-related events are increasingly reported, and some are fatal. Subsurface migration and development up to flammable limits are highly dependent on leak characteristics, soil, atmospheric variables, and other surface and subsurface structural complexities. Although few studies have characterized the transient behavior of leaked NG in the shallow subsurface, the underlying mechanisms and their interactions are not well understood, which prevents prediction of the impact of environmental and operating conditions on gas migration. The study conducted a series of field scale-controlled release experiments and numerical simulations to …

How Can Morocco’S Crisis Management And Disaster Response Be Optimized? Lessons From The Al Haouz Earthquake Response, Clara Normand

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco’s disaster management strategy has evolved in reaction to historical crises. On September 8th, 2023, the Al Haouz region of Morocco was struck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The area was especially vulnerable to such a disaster due to its underdeveloped infrastructure, remote location, and lack of services. As the last phase of the disaster management cycle is unfolding, seven months after the earthquake, this research assesses the successes and challenges of the response and establishes areas of improvement to implement in national policies to optimize future crisis management across all four stages of the disaster management cycle.

Influence Of Subsurface Critical Zone Structure On Hydrological Partitioning In Mountainous Headwater Catchments, Hang Chen, Qifei Niu, James P. Mcnamara, Alejandro N. Flores

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Headwater catchments play a vital role in regional water supply and ecohydrology, and a quantitative understanding of the hydrological partitioning in these catchments is critically needed, particularly under a changing climate. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of subsurface critical zone (CZ) structure in modulating the partitioning of precipitation in mountainous catchments; however, few existing studies have explicitly taken into account the 3D subsurface CZ structure. In this study, we designed realistic synthetic catchment models based on seismic velocity-estimated 3D subsurface CZ structures. Integrated hydrologic modeling is then used to study the effects of the shape of the weathered bedrock …

Investigation Of Gas Dynamics In Water And Oil-Based Muds Using Das, Dts, And Dss Measurements, Temitayo S. Adeyemi

LSU Master's Theses

Reliable prediction of gas migration velocity, void fraction, and length of gas-affected region in water and oil-based muds is essential for effective planning, control, and optimization of drilling operations. However, there is a gap in our understanding of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based muds. This is a consequence of the use of experimental systems that are not representative of field-scale conditions. This study seeks to bridge the gap via the well-scale deployment of distributed fiber-optic sensors for real-time monitoring of gas behavior and dynamics in water and oil-based mud. The aforementioned parameters were estimated in real-time using …

Enhancing Landslide Susceptibility Modelling Through A Novel Non-Landslide Sampling Method And Ensemble Learning Technique, Chao Zhou, Yue Wang, Ying Cao, Ramesh P. Singh, Bayes Ahmed, Mahdi Motagh, Yang Wang, Ling Chen, Guangchao Tan, Shanshan Li

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, several catastrophic landslide events have been observed throughout the globe, threatening to lives and infrastructures. To minimize the impact of landslides, the need of landslide susceptibility map is important. The study aims to extract high-quality non-landslide samples and improve the accuracy of landslide susceptibility modelling (LSM) outcomes by applying a coupled method of ensemble learning and Machine Learning (ML). The Zigui-Badong section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGRA) in China was considered in the present study. Twelve influencing factors were selected as inputs for LSM, and the relationship between each causal factor and landslide spatial development …

High-Precision U-Pb Geochronology Links Magmatism In The Southwestern Laurentia Large Igneous Province And Midcontinent Rift, M. T. Mohr, M. D. Schmitz, N. L. Swanson-Hysell, K. E. Karlstrom, F. A. Macdonald, M. E. Holland, Y. Zhang, N. S. Anderson

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Southwestern Laurentia large igneous province (SWLLIP) comprises voluminous, widespread ca 1.1 Ga magmatism in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The timing and tempo of SWLLIP magmatism and its relationship to other late Mesoproterozoic igneous provinces have been unclear due to difficulties in dating mafic rocks at high precision. New precise U-Pb zircon dates for comagmatic felsic segregations within mafic rocks reveal distinct magmatic episodes at ca. 1098 Ma (represented by massive sills in Death Valley, California, the Grand Canyon, and central Arizona) and ca. 1083 Ma (represented by the Cardenas Basalts in the Grand Canyon and a …

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Kari Suedel, Kyle A. Glazewski, Kevin C. Connors, James A. Sorensen, Charles D. Gorecki, Brian P. Kalk, John A. Harju

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas provides a profile of CO₂ sources and potential storage locations across the PCOR Partnership region. The revised sixth edition of the Atlas provides an up-to-date look at PCOR Partnership initiative activities, including additional regional characterization and updates on commercial projects. Additional background information on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is included to give a better understanding of how CCUS addresses concerns about climate change while allowing future energy needs to be met.

Snow Water Equivalent Retrieval Over Idaho – Part 2: Using L-Band Uavsar Repeat-Pass Interferometry, Zachary Hoppinen, Shadi Oveisgharan, Hans-Peter Marshall, Ross Mower, Kelly Elder, Carrie Vuyovich

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study evaluates using interferometry on low-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to monitor snow water equivalent (SWE) over seasonal and synoptic scales. We retrieved SWE changes from nine pairs of SAR images, mean 8 d temporal baseline, captured by an L-band aerial platform, NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), over central Idaho as part of the NASA SnowEx 2020 and 2021 campaigns. The retrieved SWE changes were compared against coincident in situ measurements (SNOTEL and snow pits from the SnowEx field campaign) and to 100 m gridded SnowModel modeled SWE changes. The comparison of in situ to …

Snow Water Equivalent Retrieval Over Idaho – Part 1: Using Sentinel-1 Repeat-Pass Interferometry, Shadi Oveisgharan, Robert Zinke, Zachary Hoppinen, Hans Peter Marshall

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Snow water equivalent (SWE) is identified as the key element of the snowpack that impacts rivers' streamflow and water cycle. Both active and passive microwave remote sensing methods have been used to retrieve SWE, but there does not currently exist a SWE product that provides useful estimates in mountainous terrain. Active sensors provide higher-resolution observations, but the suitable radar frequencies and temporal repeat intervals have not been available until recently. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has been shown to have the potential to estimate SWE change. In this study, we apply this technique to a long time series of 6 …

Deep Structure Of Siletzia In The Puget Lowland: Imaging An Obducted Plateau And Accretionary Thrust Belt With Potential Fields, Megan L. Anderson, Richard J. Blakely, Ray E. Wells, Joe D. Dragovich

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Detailed understanding of crustal components and tectonic history of forearcs is important due to their geological complexity and high seismic hazard. The principal component of the Cascadia forearc is Siletzia, a composite basaltic terrane of oceanic origin. Much is known about the lithology and age of the province. However, glacial sediments blanketing the Puget Lowland obscure its lateral extent and internal structure, hindering our ability to fully understand its tectonic history and its influence on modern deformation. In this study, we apply map-view interpretation and two-dimensional modeling of aeromagnetic and gravity data to the magnetically stratified Siletzia terrane revealing its …

Geotechnical Characterisation Of Coal Spoil Piles Using High-Resolution Optical And Multispectral Data: A Machine Learning Approach, Sureka Thiruchittampalam, Bikram Pratap Banerjee, Nancy F. Glenn, Simit Raval

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geotechnical characterisation of spoil piles has traditionally relied on the expertise of field specialists, which can be both hazardous and time-consuming. Although unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) show promise as a remote sensing tool in various applications; accurately segmenting and classifying very high-resolution remote sensing images of heterogeneous terrains, such as mining spoil piles with irregular morphologies, presents significant challenges. The proposed method adopts a robust approach that combines morphology-based segmentation, as well as spectral, textural, structural, and statistical feature extraction techniques to overcome the difficulties associated with spoil pile characterisation. Additionally, it incorporates minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) based feature …

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis, Part 2: Gis Methodology, Jacob Deangelo, John W. Shervais, Jonathan M. Glen, Dennis Nielson, Sabodh Garg, Patrick F. Dobson, Erika Gasperikova, Eric Sonnenthal, Lee M. Liberty, Drew L. Siler, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) in geothermal exploration originates from a systematic methodology developed within the petroleum industry and is based on a geologic, geophysical, and hydrologic framework of identified geothermal systems. We tailored this methodology to study the geothermal resource potential of the Snake River Plain and surrounding region, but it can be adapted to other geothermal resource settings. We adapted the PFA approach to geothermal resource exploration by cataloging the critical elements controlling exploitable hydrothermal systems, establishing risk matrices that evaluate these elements in terms of both probability of success and level of knowledge, and building a code-based ‘processing …

The Portable Hand Streamer: Rapid Seismic Imaging For Shallow Targets, Lee M. Liberty, L. Thomas Otheim

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we introduce a portable hand streamer seismic system. The system is appropriate for characterizing the mechanical properties of geologic and engineered materials in the upper 5 to 10 m depth and for reflection imaging from tens to hundreds of meters depth. Unlike other seismic land streamer systems that are typically pulled behind a vehicle with a long string of geophones, our recording system and electric seismic source are contained within an electric utility cart to allow ease of mobility for a single operator. Our 48-channel contact-coupled streamer is tethered to the cart to enable low-effort data collection. …

Zircon And The Role Of Magmatic Petrogenesis In The Formation Of Felsic-Hosted Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (Vms) Deposits: A Case Study From The Mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana Terrane, Northern Canadian Cordillera, Matthew J. Manor, Stephen J. Piercey, Corey J. Wall

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Magmatism is a critical component in sustaining hydrothermal convection and metal transport during the formation of volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. Previous studies of magmatic petrogenesis in VMS systems have demonstrated that ore-related volcanic rocks have distinct whole-rock geochemical and isotopic signatures (i.e., high HFSE, REE, Th, εHf-Nd, zircon saturation T) relative to barren volcanic rocks, which supports models of elevated crustal heat flow during periods of ore deposition; however, the petrologic characteristics and intrinsic parameters (e.g., T, fO₂) related to these magmatic events in VMS districts remain poorly understood. Arc–back-arc assemblages from the mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana terrane …

Chronostratigraphy Of Miocene Strata In The Berkeley Hills (California Coast Ranges, Usa) And The Arrival Of The San Andreas Transform Boundary, Stacey H. Gerasimov, Eben B. Hodgin, James L. Crowley, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Miocene strata of the Claremont, Orinda, and Moraga formations of the Berkeley Hills (California Coast Ranges, USA) record sedimentation and volcanism during the passage of the Mendocino triple junction and early evolution of the San Andreas fault system. Detrital zircon laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) age spectra indicate a change in sedimentary provenance between the marine Claremont formation (Monterey Group) and the terrestrial Orinda and Moraga Formations associated with uplift of Franciscan Complex lithologies. A sandstone from the Claremont formation produced a detrital zircon chemical abrasion–isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) maximum depositional age of 13.298 ± 0.046 Ma, …

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis, Part 1: Example From The Snake River Plain, Idaho, John W. Shervais, Jacob Deangelo, Jonathan M. Glen, Dennis L. Nielson, Sabodh Garg, Patrick Dobson, Erika Gasperikova, Eric Sonnenthal, Lee M. Liberty, Dennis L. Newell, Drew Siler, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanic province overlies the track of the Yellowstone hotspot, a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle. Most of the area is underlain by a basaltic volcanic province that overlies a mid-crustal intrusive complex, which in turn provides the long-term heat flux needed to sustain geothermal systems. Previous studies have identified several known geothermal resource areas within the SRP. For the geothermal study presented herein, our goals were to: (1) adapt the methodology of Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) for geothermal exploration to create a formal basis for its application to geothermal systems, (2) assemble …

Spatial Analyses On Pre-Earthquake Ionospheric Anomalies And Magnetic Storms Observed By China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite In August 2018, Jann-Yeng Tiger Liu, Xuhui Shen, Fu-Yuan Chang, Yuh-Ing Chen, Yang-Yi Sun, Chieh‑Hung Chen, Sergey Pulinets, Katsumi Hattori, Dimitar Ouzounov, Valerio Tramutoli, Michel Parrot, Wei-Sheng Chen, Cheng-Yan Liu, Fei Zhang, Dapeng Liu, Xue-Min Zhang, Rui Yan, Qiao Wang

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES), with a sun-synchronous orbit at 507 km altitude, was launched on 2 February 2018 to investigate pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies (PEIAs) and ionospheric space weather. The CSES probes manifest longitudinal features of four-peak plasma density and three plasma depletions in the equatorial/low-latitudes as well as mid-latitude troughs. CSES plasma and the total electron content (TEC) of the global ionosphere map (GIM) are used to study PEIAs associated with a destructive M7.0 earthquake and its followed M6.5 and M6.3/M6.9 earthquakes in Lombok, Indonesia, on 5, 17, and 19 August 2018, respectively, as well as to examine ionospheric …

Cold-Season Precipitation Sensitivity To Microphysical Parameterizations: Hydrologic Evaluations Leveraging Snow Lidar Datasets, W. J. Rudisill, A. N. Flores, H. P. Marshall, E. Siirila-Woodburn, D. R. Feldman, A. M. Rhoades, Z. Xu, A. Morales

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cloud microphysical processes are an important facet of atmospheric modeling, as they can control the initiation and rates of snowfall. Thus, parameterizations of these processes have important implications for modeling seasonal snow accumulation. We conduct experiments with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF V4.3.3) Model using three different microphysics parameterizations, including a sophisticated new scheme (ISHMAEL). Simulations are conducted for two cold seasons (2018 and 2019) centered on the Colorado Rockies’ ∼750-km² East River watershed. Precipitation efficiencies are quantified using a drying-ratio mass budget approach and point evaluations are performed against three NRCS SNOTEL stations. Precipitation and meteorological outputs …

Thermochronology And Exhumation Dynamics Of Metamorphic Units In The Salmon River Suture Zone, Jonathan J. Cone

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Salmon River suture zone in western Idaho records the Jurassic-Cretaceous (160-90 Ma) accretion of amalgamated volcanic arc terranes onto the North American continent. Rocks exposed at the surface record burial to depths of more than 20 kilometers, with unclear drivers for uplift and exhumation. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the transport of deep crustal rocks to the surface: (1) delamination of a dense lithospheric root resulted in rapid isostatic uplift of the crust and (2) exhumation of crustal blocks along thrust faults. To test these models, I present temperature-time (T-t) paths for mid-crustal metamorphic rocks constructed …

Geology Of The Bishop 7.5-Minute Quadrangle And Geophysical Modeling To Constrain Syndepositional Deformation Of The Black Warrior Foreland Basin, Joseph Edward Lane

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Black Warrior basin is a foreland basin formed by the Ouachita–Appalachian orogeny during the late Paleozoic Era. Mississippian strata record the transition from the carbonate platform within the Tuscumbia Limestone to the clastic-rich units within the overlying Pride Mountain Formation and Hartselle Sandstone. The western and southern-most fringes of the Black Warrior basin are covered by thin, post orogenic Cretaceous sediments of the East Gulf Coastal Plain. Geological mapping of the Bishop 7.5-Minute quadrangle revealed subtle deformation in Mississippian strata in the form of gentle folds (

Investigating Converted Phases In The Midland Basin, Texas, Using Synthetic Seismograms, Julia Rosenblit

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Intraplate seismicity in previously aseismic areas within the Permian Basin, Texas, has steadily increased since 2009 (Frohlich et al., 2020). The Midland Basin, the eastern lobe of the Permian, has experienced multiple moderate magnitude earthquakes (M4-6), including the recent 2022 M5.2 Range Hill earthquake. While it is generally accepted that oil and gas development is linked to the seismic activity, and saltwater disposal (SWD) is a significant triggering mechanism in the Midland Basin, understanding the mechanism(s) of shallow (

A Uav Based Cmos Ku-Band Metasurface Fmcw Radar System For Low-Altitude Snowpack Sensing, Adrian Tang, Nacer Chahat, Yangyho Kim, Arhison Bharathan, Gabriel Virbila, Hans-Peter Marshall, Thomas Van Der Weide, Gaurangi Gupta, Raunika Anand, Goutam Chattopadhyay, Mau-Chung Frank Chang

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents development of a UAV based frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system for remotely sensing the water contained within snowpacks. To make the radar system compatible with the payload requirements of small UAV platforms, the radar electronics are implemented with CMOS technology, and the antenna is implemented as an extremely compact and lightweight metasurface (MTS) antenna. This article will discuss how the high absorption losses of snowpacks lead to dynamic range requirements much stricter than FMCW radars used for automotive and other sensing applications, and how these requirements are met through antenna isolation, leakage calibration and exploitation …