Snow Measurement from Signals of Opportunity: Scaling from ground to space mission
Dr. Rashmi Shah
Associate Directorate Technologist,
Earth Science and Technology Directorate
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Abstract:
This presentation introduces a novel approach to microwave remote
sensing: Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) reflectometry. This technique
leverages existing, powerful navigation and communication transmitters as
illuminators in a bistatic radar configuration. By re-utilizing these
signals, SoOp reflectometry combines the advantages of both active radar
and passive radiometry while offering unique capabilities. This approach
enables the development of smaller, more power-efficient instruments and
allows measurements in a wider range of frequency bands.
The focus of this talk will be on demonstrating the potential of SoOp
reflectometry for snowpack monitoring. Results from ground-based
experiments and an airborne campaign using P-band signals to estimate
snow water equivalent, snow depth, and soil moisture will be presented.
Furthermore, the development of a spaceborne mission designed to scale
these measurements from local to global scales will be discussed. This
innovative approach promises to significantly enhance our ability to
monitor snowpack dynamics, with implications for water resource
management, climate modeling, and understanding the impacts of climate
change on snow cover.
Presenter Bio:
Rashmi Shah received B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2007 from
Rochester Institute of Technology and M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and
Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN,
USA, in 2010 and 2014, respectively. Since 2014, she has been at Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology
(Caltech), Pasadena, CA, USA as a Research Technologist in the Tracking
Systems and Applications Section. In Nov. 2021, she was also appointed as
the JPL’s first Associate Directorate Technologist for JPL’s Earth
Science and Technology Directorate. Her background and interests are
microwave remote sensing, electromagnetic scattering, land and ocean
remote sensing using signals of opportunity reflectometry and microwave
remote sensing instrument development, as well as science systems
engineering. Dr. Shah is the recipient of NASA Early Career Public
Achievement Medal, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society’s (GRSS) Early Career
Award and JPL Lew Allen Award.