Current limitations in snow water equivalent (SWE) data, particularly in mountainous regions, hinder our understanding of critical water resources. SNOWCOP is tackling this challenge head-on by exploiting remote sensing data into a snow model.

In particular, this talk will introduce how SNOWCOP leverages the power of the Copernicus program by integrating its rich data streams into an innovative snow reconstruction approach. Furthermore, we will highlight the crucial role of the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) in processing this data efficiently and at scale. This will generate unprecedented high-resolution (50m) daily maps of SWE and ice melt rates for the extra-tropical Andes, spanning over two decades.

SNOWCOP has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation Actions programme under Grant Agreement 10180133 

Carlo Marin received the M.Sc. in telecommunication engineering, and the Ph.D. in remote sensing both from the University of Trento, Italy in 2011 and 2015, respectively. Currently he is the group leader of the mountain cryosphere group at the Institute for Earth Observation at Eurac Research, where he conducts research related to the multi-temporal analysis and change detection of SAR and optical images for alpine cryosphere monitoring within the context of several national and international projects.

His main areas of interest include leveraging advanced remote sensing techniques to monitor and understand the mountain cryosphere. His work focuses on the interaction of radar signals with the snowpack—particularly during melt periods—the development of AI models that integrate remote sensing data and ground measurements with physically-based snow models to accurately estimate snow water equivalent (SWE), and the design of innovative in-situ instruments for measuring snow properties. This ground-based data is essential for validating the accuracy of satellite-derived products.

The seminar will take place on Friday, April 11 at 12:00 PM Chile time (4:00 PM UTC) in the Maryam Mirzakhani Room (formerly Multimedia Room) at the Center for Mathematical Modeling, University of Chile (Beauchef 851, North Building, 6th floor). It will also be live-streamed at this link.