Release of IT-SNOW Version 3.1: our reanalysis now reached August 2023!

CIMA Research Foundation is pleased to announce the release of version 3.1 of IT-SNOW, the first, open-source and sub-km reanalysis of Snow Water Equivalent in Italy. With the inclusion of the 2023 water year, IT-SNOW extends its temporal coverage, now spanning from September 2010 to August 2023, further enhancing its scientific and operational relevance.

IT-SNOW: an advanced model for analyzing snow dynamics?

IT-SNOW is an advanced reanalysis product designed to provide accurate and homogeneous data on snow cover, snow water equivalent (SWE), and other related parameters across the entire Italian territory. Based on the distributed snow model S3M Italy, IT-SNOW utilizes meteorological inputs from thousands of on-the-ground weather stations as available from the Italian Regional authorities and autonomous provinces. The model has been calibrated and validated using a wide range of in-situ and remotely sensed observations and assimilates measurements of snow depth (HS) and satellite images of snow cover area (SCA).?

As detailed in the publication in Earth System Science Data , IT-SNOW produces a consistent and reliable representation of snow conditions over time, across the whole of the Italian territory and at 500 m resolution. This tool is crucial for understanding snow dynamics, especially in a climate change context that profoundly affects snow regimes.?

The modeling approach enables a detailed representation of the spatial and temporal distribution of snow, making the dataset an essential asset not only for scientific research but also for practical applications such as water resource management and large-scale environmental monitoring.?

Version 3.1: extension of the reference period and release optimization?

With the release of version 3.1, IT-SNOW extends its Period of Record (PoR) to August 2023, covering a temporal span from September 2010. This update marks a significant advancement, allowing the inclusion of the most recent data and thereby improving the ability to analyze and model snow dynamics in Italy.?

In addition to the temporal extension, the version 3.1 release introduces a new schedule for future updates. In light of the increasing usage of the dataset, the development team has decided that future versions of IT-SNOW will be made available within six months following the end of the respective water year. This means that the release of the 2024 version is planned for February 2025, maintaining an annual cadence but with a significant improvement in timeliness compared to previous releases.?

Dataset access?

IT-SNOW is freely accessible at the following link , which will always point to the most recent version of the dataset. This open-access policy reflects CIMA Research Foundation's commitment to the dissemination of scientific data and support for the research community and industry professionals.?

Conclusions?

The release of IT-SNOW version 3.1 represents an important advancement in snow monitoring and analysis capabilities in Italy, solidifying this tool’s position as a reference for scientific research and water resource management. CIMA Research Foundation will continue to improve and update IT-SNOW, ensuring increasingly accurate and timely data to address the challenges of snow and water resource management in a changing climate context.?