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iUTAH researcher Scott Jones, a soil scientist from the department of plants, soils and climate at Utah State University was interviewed by KUSU reporter Katie Peikes about a new device to aid in predicting the state’s water supply. Jones explains the probe’s function saying it “fires a heat pulse for eight seconds and then you measure the temperature near the needle for another two minutes,” adding that “we have a model that describes this heating in the soil and you fit the model to those temperature rise measurements. The parameters that are fitted are basically describing the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity of the soil.”

"We’re interested in soil moisture in the mountains because one of the aspects of the soil and the vegetation on the surface is that it forms the bottom boundary for all of the weather and climate interactions, and so understanding that boundary becomes quite important for getting better estimates of climate change and weather," Jones said.

Press: KUSU Radio

Newly developed heat pulse probe tracks the amount of water coming out of the snowpack. Credit: Utah Public Radio