Electrical Engineering Graduate Seminar - Snow Measurement from Signals of Opportunity

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.