Dataset for Observing the Effect of Morphology on Elastic Properties of New Snow Using a Non-Contacting Laser Ultrasound System

Quantifying the mechanical properties of snow is crucial for various applications. Snow density alone can provide a rough estimate of mechanical properties, while direct observation of snow microstructure is necessary to accurately determine mechanical properties. We utilize a novel non-contacting laser ultrasound system (LUS), providing acoustic waveform measurements, to observe mechanical properties at the microscale. We investigated the temporal relationship between P-wave velocity, density, snow crystal type, and specific surface area (SSA). We created homogeneous snow samples, each composed of a single crystal type, compacted to a 250~$kg/m^3$ density. We measured acoustic wave propagation through these snow samples to observe changes in P-wave speed throughout metamorphism. We also measured SSA with the InfraSnow Sensor, as well as micromechanical properties with the SnowMicroPen. These observations allowed us to monitor changes in mechanical properties throughout sintering, with increases in elastic modulus temporally by a factor of 1-2 depending on crystal type.