| Term: | Gamma-ray snow gauge |
| Definition: |
Instrument which uses a source of gamma radiation positioned on a surface underlying a snow cover to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by the snow and hence determine the water content of the snow. WMOHydrology
An instrument designed to determine the water content of snow by measuring the amount of gamma radiation absorbed by the snow overlying the transmitter that is placed at the surface. Because the earth naturally emits gamma radiation, by the same concept, aircraft measurements of gamma radiation can be used to estimate the water content of snow on the ground along the aircraft's flight path. AMSglossary GCW |