Articles | Volume 30, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1189-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1189-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Assessing the impact of Earth Observation data-driven calibration of the melting coefficient on the LISFLOOD snow module
Valentina Premier
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Earth Observation, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Francesca Moschini
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
Jesús Casado-Rodríguez
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Davide Bavera
Arcadia SIT, Milano, Italy
Carlo Marin
Institute for Earth Observation, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
Alberto Pistocchi
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
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This research revisits a classic scientific technique, melting calorimetry, to measure snow liquid water content. This study shows with a novel uncertainty propagation framework that melting calorimetry, traditionally less trusted than freezing calorimetry, can produce accurate results. The study defines optimal experiment parameters and a robust field protocol. Melting calorimetry has the potential to become a valuable tool for validating other liquid water content measuring techniques.
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Unlocking the potential of melting calorimetry, traditionally confined to school labs, this paper demonstrates its application in the field for accurate measurement of liquid water content in snow. Dispelling misconceptions about measurement uncertainty, it provide a robust protocol and quantifies associated uncertainties. The findings endorse the broader adoption of melting calorimetry for quantification of snow liquid water content in operational context.
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The large amount of information regularly acquired by satellites can provide important information about SWE. We explore the use of multi-source satellite data, in situ observations, and a degree-day model to reconstruct daily SWE at 25 m. The results show spatial patterns that are consistent with the topographical features as well as with a reference product. Being able to also reproduce interannual variability, the method has great potential for hydrological and ecological applications.
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We performed a comprehensive accuracy assessment of an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer global area coverage snow-cover extent time series dataset for the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The sensor-to-sensor consistency, the accuracy related to snow depth, elevations, land-cover types, slope, and aspects, and topographical variability were also explored. Our analysis shows an overall accuracy of 94 % in comparison with in situ station data, which is the same with MOD10A1 V006.
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A service to enable real-time optimization of grooming and snow-making at ski resorts was developed and evaluated using both GNSS-measured snow depth and spaceborne snow maps derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2. The correlation to the ground observation data was high. Potential sources for the overestimation of the snow depth by the simulations are mainly the impact of snow redistribution by skiers, compensation of uneven terrain, or spontaneous local adaptions of the snow management.
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This work presents the first high-resolution dataset of wet-snow properties for satellite applications. With it, we validate links between Sentinel-1 backscatter and snowmelt stages and investigate scattering mechanisms through a radiative transfer model. We disclose the influence of liquid water content and surface roughness at different melting stages and address future challenges, such as capturing large-scale scattering mechanisms and enhancing radiative transfer modules for wet snow.
Jaime Gaona, Davide Bavera, Guido Fioravanti, Sebastian Hahn, Pietro Stradiotti, Paolo Filippucci, Stefania Camici, Luca Ciabatta, Hamidreza Mosaffa, Silvia Puca, Nicoletta Roberto, and Luca Brocca
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Soil moisture is crucial for the water cycle since it is at the front line of drought. Satellite, model and in situ data help identify soil moisture stress but are challenged by data uncertainties. This study evaluates trends and data coherence of common active/passive microwave sensors and model-based soil moisture data against in situ stations across Europe from 2007 to 2022. Data reliability is increasing, but combining data types improves soil moisture monitoring capabilities.
Riccardo Barella, Mathias Bavay, Francesca Carletti, Nicola Ciapponi, Valentina Premier, and Carlo Marin
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This research revisits a classic scientific technique, melting calorimetry, to measure snow liquid water content. This study shows with a novel uncertainty propagation framework that melting calorimetry, traditionally less trusted than freezing calorimetry, can produce accurate results. The study defines optimal experiment parameters and a robust field protocol. Melting calorimetry has the potential to become a valuable tool for validating other liquid water content measuring techniques.
Riccardo Barella, Mathias Bavay, Francesca Carletti, Nicola Ciapponi, Valentina Premier, and Carlo Marin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2892, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2892, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Unlocking the potential of melting calorimetry, traditionally confined to school labs, this paper demonstrates its application in the field for accurate measurement of liquid water content in snow. Dispelling misconceptions about measurement uncertainty, it provide a robust protocol and quantifies associated uncertainties. The findings endorse the broader adoption of melting calorimetry for quantification of snow liquid water content in operational context.
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The Cryosphere, 17, 2387–2407, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2387-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2387-2023, 2023
Short summary
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The large amount of information regularly acquired by satellites can provide important information about SWE. We explore the use of multi-source satellite data, in situ observations, and a degree-day model to reconstruct daily SWE at 25 m. The results show spatial patterns that are consistent with the topographical features as well as with a reference product. Being able to also reproduce interannual variability, the method has great potential for hydrological and ecological applications.
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For about 24000 river basins across Europe, this study provides a continuous representation of the streamflow regime in terms of empirical flow–duration curves (FDCs), which are key signatures of the hydrological behaviour of a catchment and are widely used for supporting decisions on water resource management as well as for assessing hydrologic change. FDCs at ungauged sites are estimated by means of a geostatistical procedure starting from data observed at about 3000 sites across Europe.
Xiaodan Wu, Kathrin Naegeli, Valentina Premier, Carlo Marin, Dujuan Ma, Jingping Wang, and Stefan Wunderle
The Cryosphere, 15, 4261–4279, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4261-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4261-2021, 2021
Short summary
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We performed a comprehensive accuracy assessment of an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer global area coverage snow-cover extent time series dataset for the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The sensor-to-sensor consistency, the accuracy related to snow depth, elevations, land-cover types, slope, and aspects, and topographical variability were also explored. Our analysis shows an overall accuracy of 94 % in comparison with in situ station data, which is the same with MOD10A1 V006.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Franziska Koch, Valentina Premier, Carlo Marin, Florian Hanzer, Carlo Maria Carmagnola, Hugues François, Daniel Günther, Fabiano Monti, Olivier Hargoaa, Ulrich Strasser, Samuel Morin, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 15, 3949–3973, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A service to enable real-time optimization of grooming and snow-making at ski resorts was developed and evaluated using both GNSS-measured snow depth and spaceborne snow maps derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2. The correlation to the ground observation data was high. Potential sources for the overestimation of the snow depth by the simulations are mainly the impact of snow redistribution by skiers, compensation of uneven terrain, or spontaneous local adaptions of the snow management.
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Short summary
This study evaluates the snow module of LISFLOOD by replacing the discharge-calibrated snowmelt coefficient with pixel-wise values calibrated using EO (Earth Observation) snow cover fraction after standard streamflow calibration. Using a gap-filled high-resolution daily snow dataset, the approach improves snow cover representation across European basins while largely preserving discharge performance, without requiring full model recalibration.
This study evaluates the snow module of LISFLOOD by replacing the discharge-calibrated snowmelt...