Postdoctoral researchers Cheri Johnson and Valentina Ekimova measures snow depth in Utqiagvik with an avalanche probe on May 23, 2025. (Credit: Hannah Bradley)Field Notes
By Valentina Ekimova |
May 2025
Snow, Pixels, and Probes: Ground-Truthing in Utqiaġvik
In mid-May, we headed into the snow-covered landscape of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, equipped with a Snowmetrics SWE kit and a Voile avalanche probe to ground-truth snow conditions for satellite validation. The goal: to collect accurate snow depth and density measurements to support the interpretation of high-resolution imagery from Sentinel-2, PlanetScope, and SkySat.
Each field site followed a planned grid with sampling points spaced roughly 10 meters apart, spanning open tundra, built environments, and zones affected by wind redistribution. At each point, we recorded snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), and GPS coordinates—using a Garmin receiver to ensure precise location data.
The avalanche probe made it efficient to map depth variability across sites, while the SWE kit enabled clean and reliable snow density sampling directly in the field. Key locations included the Taġiuġmiullu Nunamiullu Housing Authority (TNHA) apartment area, Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital (SSMH), the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), the Barrow Arctic Research Center (BARC), and several snow fence zones where drifting and early melt create complex patterns.
Next up: pairing these ground observations with satellite imagery from the same time window to assess how accurately the sensors capture snowpack structure and spatial variability.
“In a place where snow is as dynamic as the sky above it, there’s something deeply satisfying about linking field measurements to orbital pixels—and watching the science come together.”