A multi-scale approach on snow cover observations and models (SnowCover)

Data on snow properties such as cover fraction, depth, water equivalents, and melt date are important per se, but also as input in various models, and to verify model results. Earth observation (EO) gathers information on these parameters. Different EO methods for snow have different strengths. Manual measurements and locally deployed sensors give precise data, but only at individual sites. Satellite-based methods give huge amounts of data covering vast areas, but at lower resolution, and only when the satellite passes over relevant sites. Three SIOS projects attempt to bridge the spatial and temporal gaps between remote sensing data and point measurements of snow cover.