Snow doesn’t hold as many secrets as glacier ice - but there is a lot of it, and a lot in it. Diffuse optical sensing enables large-scale collection of field data on particulate concentration in the Oregon Cascade snowpack.

Diffuse optics go a long way in a complex medium such as snow. It allows us to extract information about structure and composition of snow with relatively simple technology and without the need for extensive modeling of the snowpack. Using this tool we can collect large amounts of field data and examine the spatial distribution of these particulates from wildfire smoke. This information will help identify vulnerable watersheds where contaminated snow accelerates snow melt and diminishes this frozen reservoir.