A Boise State geoscientist is using new technology to knock out a laborious task and possibly revolutionize the way scientists analyze snowpack and forecast avalanches.

Rather than sending a scientist to trudge up a mountain with a measuring stick and scales to determine snowpack depth and water content and the composition of different snow layers, Hans-Peter Marshall and an international group of scientists are working on "snow radar." It would provide the same information from a helicopter and - possibly soon - from a satellite.

Skiers, snowmobilers and other outdoors enthusiasts could benefit from more accurate and widespread information about snow depths.

More accurate and efficient measuring of the snow's water content could benefit irrigators, water utilities, dam operators and fish biologists in dry climates like Southwest Idaho that depend on winter snowfall to meet summer water needs.

The idea, if not the execution, is simple: Send radar signals to the ground and record them when they bounce back.

"From the amount of time it takes the signal to travel through the snowpack, we can estimate the amount of water it represents as well as the thickness of layers," Marshall said.

Marshall is working with a heli-ski company in Valdez, Alaska, to test the system.

"In the future, we hope this radar system will give the guides a view into the snowpack from the air, giving them information about the snow stratigraphy and the geometry of slabs in avalanche-starting zones," Marshall said.

Today, Marshall's system can be used at ground level by passing the radar over snow-laden surfaces while skiing. The technology is being tested and modified for helicopter use.

But soon, scientists may be able to obtain snowpack data from high-flying aircraft and space-based satellites.

"Interpreting the signal from satellites and aircraft radar systems is much more complicated," Marshall said. "The math is quite complicated, and there are a number of people at different universities and institutions working on retrieval algorithms for doing this."

This winter Marshall will continue fine-tuning his snow radar by comparing high-tech snowpack measurements with old-fashioned hand-gathered data, which means donning skis and heading into Idaho's mountains.

That's the part Marshall's "assistant," Yukon, loves. While the sled dog may not know math, he knows snow. Marshall adopted Yukon from a remote Athabaskan village in Canada's Yukon Territory.

"Yukon's role in the project is moral support. He is a very quiet dog. The only time he barks is when we start skiing downhill," Marshall said. "He loves snow more than anything else."

Cynthia Sewell: 6428