The cryosphere (here: snow, ice and glaciers) is the most important inter-seasonal water storage component in the Alps. Apart from direct observations, hydrological models are the most common approach to study cryospheric processes. However, particularly at larger scales (>10’000 km²), critical processes such as radiative transfer, snow albedo and the energy balance remain underdetermined due to missing spatially explicit data. Satellite remote sensing is a promising technology for generating spatially explicit information on snow for larger areas, but operational products are mostly limited to the detection of snow cover only.

In view of this, the central idea of CRYOMON-SciPro, a project financed by the EUREGIO research fund, is to exploit the complementary character of physically based hydrological modelling and improved satellite remote sensing products for monitoring key processes within the cryosphere, by integrating both methods in an innovative approach (multi-level data fusion). The innovations expected to result from this project include:

- An improved representation and understanding of the spatial and temporal dimension of key processes within the cryosphere at larger scales

- A flexible data integration concept based on machine learning and pattern recognition techniques

- The integration of data from new and innovative field measurement techniques and satellite data (Sentinel 1 and 2).

CRYOMON-SciPro makes use of the EUREGIO region as a field laboratory for cryosphere research with well-instrumented test-sites, high data availability, good contact to authorities and climatological conditions, representative of different Alpine zones. The results of the project will thus have a scientific value that is well beyond the EUREGIO region.

Contact person: Claudia Notarnicola, Mattia Callegari

claudia.notarnicola@eurac.edu; mattia.callegari@eurac.edu