Snow Cover Extent
Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) refers to the amount of water stored in the snow that is potentially available to melt. It is often given in a cm water column and can be calculated as the snow height multiplied by its density. Snow compresses over time and changes its morphology through temperature and radiation-induced mass-transfer within the snowpack. The snowpack is therefore composed of several layers of varying density that accumulate over the winter season, resulting in a unique density profile depending on location and time.
The maps are created through data fusion with machine learning. The data are derived from a collection of optical and radar satellites, as well as weather reanalysis data and numerical weather predictions.