The 2nd snow_cci User Workshop



The 2nd snow_cci User Workshop was organized as Virtual Meeting on 25.05.2021.

Background


In the frame of the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI), the snow_cci project developed and generated new 40 years long climate data records of daily global products on primary seasonal snow parameters using satellite data. The products were specified at the 1st snow_cci User Workshop in November 2018. The first version of the snow product portfolio consists of daily global fractional snow extent (SCF) with and without canopy correction, and snow water equivalent (SWE). Associated maps of retrieval uncertainty are produced for all products. The data were released to the user community through the ESA CCI Open Data Portal.
The workshop aimed to foster the communication between the snow_cci project team, the Climate Research Group associated with snow_cci, and users of snow_cci products working in various application fields related to climate monitoring and modelling.


Objectives of the Workshop

  • Review and consolidate the portfolio of global daily snow_cci products from satellite data
  • Collect feedback on the usage of snow_cci products and associated uncertainty from various applications
  • Review and consolidate requirements and specifications of snow_cci products as guidelines for snow_cci Phase-2
  • Engage the snow climate research community to facilitate collaboration and networking
  • Intensify the collaboration between different CCI projects, initiate discussion on homogenisation of products across ECVs, and identify snow data requirements as a contribution to potential cross-ECV analyses

Expected Outcomes of the Workshop

  • Usability and performance of snow_cci products and their uncertainty maps in various climate applications
  • Identification of gaps and deficiencies of snow products specific to climate analysis needs
  • Updated and consolidated user requirements for the snow_cci products (snow extent; snow water equivalent) with focus on climate monitoring and modelling applications supporting snow_cci Phase-2.
  • Identification of additionally required parameters/products of seasonal snow cover for climate applications
  • Recommendations for collaboration between CCI projects and homogenisation of different CDRs
  • Recommendations for synergistic use and exploitation of snow products in the overall context of terrestrial climate variables



The 1st snow_cci User Requirements Workshop



The 1st snow_cci User Requirements Workshop was held on 29.11.2018 at the Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG) in Vienna, Austria. 27 participants from 23 institutions from 11 countries attended the workshop, 8 of them via web-conference.

Background


The European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative aims to provide high quality climate data products derived from long-term satellite data records in order to meet the needs of climate research and monitoring activities. The recentely initiated snow_cci project contributes to this goal by generating time series of daily global snow products over the past 40 years derived from satellite data. This will be achieved by establishing reliable processing lines and generating consistent, fully validated data sets of key parameters of the global seasonal snow pack. snow_cci addresses the following primary snow parameters, defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS): snow cover extent and snow water equivalent.

In order to update and revise the user requirements for snow_cci products, a user workshop was held on 29th November 2018, hosted by Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, in Vienna, Austria. The workshop brought together the snow_cci project team, the Climate Research Group associated with snow_cci, and interested users of snow_cci data working in various application fields related to climate monitoring and modelling.


Objectives of the Workshop

  • Bring together the snow climate research community at the start of the snow_cci project to facilitate collaboration and networking
  • Present the current status of global daily snow_cci products derived from satellite data
  • Present and discuss product requirements for key parameters of seasonal snow as they relate to different applications and use cases in climate research
  • Discuss needs and procedures for characterising uncertainty of satellite snow products for different applications

Expected Outcomes of the Workshop

  • Overview of status and characteristics of current snow products used in climate applications
  • Identification of gaps in snow products specific to climate analysis needs
  • Revised and updated user requirements for the snow_cci products (snow extent, snow water equivalent) with focus on climate monitoring and modelling applications
  • Identification of additionally required parameters/products of seasonal snow cover for climate applications
  • Specification of user requirements for snow_cci uncertainty estimates
  • Recommendations for synergistic use and exploitation of snow products in the overall context of terrestrial climate variables