Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series

Abstract Documenting long-term snow cover changes at high spatial resolution is especially challenging in mountain environments due to limited high-elevation ground observations and the coarse resolution of current climate models. This paper presents a dataset of snow melt-out dates (SMOD) at 30-m s...

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Main Authors: Arthur Bayle, Simon Gascoin, Christophe Corona, Markus Stoffel, Philippe Choler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Data
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05044-2
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author Arthur Bayle
Simon Gascoin
Christophe Corona
Markus Stoffel
Philippe Choler
author_facet Arthur Bayle
Simon Gascoin
Christophe Corona
Markus Stoffel
Philippe Choler
author_sort Arthur Bayle
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Documenting long-term snow cover changes at high spatial resolution is especially challenging in mountain environments due to limited high-elevation ground observations and the coarse resolution of current climate models. This paper presents a dataset of snow melt-out dates (SMOD) at 30-m spatial resolution for two periods—the 1990s (1985–1996) and the 2010s (2011–2022)—across temperate European mountain ranges (Pyrenees, European Alps, and Greater Caucasus), derived from Landsat time series. To address the limited number of observations in the Landsat archive, data were aggregated over 12-year periods, enabling assessment of SMOD changes over four decades at a spatial resolution relevant to above-treeline ecosystems. The SMOD dataset was validated using snow depth station records (R2 ~ 0.75, MAE ~ 7 days) and soil temperature data (R2 ~ 0.7, MAE ~ 10 days) from the Pyrenees and European Alps. Potential applications of the dataset extend beyond alpine ecology, with possible contributions to risk assessments, hydrology, and snow climatology in the context of climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-9bd3d19f0a7844ad891a0099f5daae692025-08-20T01:47:33ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632025-04-0112111110.1038/s41597-025-05044-2Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time seriesArthur Bayle0Simon Gascoin1Christophe Corona2Markus Stoffel3Philippe Choler4Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECAUniv. Toulouse, CESBIO, CNES CNRS IRD INRAE UT3 Paul SabatierUniv. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECAClimate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of GenevaUniv. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECAAbstract Documenting long-term snow cover changes at high spatial resolution is especially challenging in mountain environments due to limited high-elevation ground observations and the coarse resolution of current climate models. This paper presents a dataset of snow melt-out dates (SMOD) at 30-m spatial resolution for two periods—the 1990s (1985–1996) and the 2010s (2011–2022)—across temperate European mountain ranges (Pyrenees, European Alps, and Greater Caucasus), derived from Landsat time series. To address the limited number of observations in the Landsat archive, data were aggregated over 12-year periods, enabling assessment of SMOD changes over four decades at a spatial resolution relevant to above-treeline ecosystems. The SMOD dataset was validated using snow depth station records (R2 ~ 0.75, MAE ~ 7 days) and soil temperature data (R2 ~ 0.7, MAE ~ 10 days) from the Pyrenees and European Alps. Potential applications of the dataset extend beyond alpine ecology, with possible contributions to risk assessments, hydrology, and snow climatology in the context of climate change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05044-2
spellingShingle Arthur Bayle
Simon Gascoin
Christophe Corona
Markus Stoffel
Philippe Choler
Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
Scientific Data
title Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
title_full Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
title_fullStr Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
title_full_unstemmed Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
title_short Snow melt-out date (SMOD) change spanning four decades in European temperate mountains at 30 m from Landsat time series
title_sort snow melt out date smod change spanning four decades in european temperate mountains at 30 m from landsat time series
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05044-2
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