Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2157
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2157
20 May 2025
 | 20 May 2025

Assessing the Impact of Earth Observation Data-Driven Calibration of the Melting Coefficient on the LISFLOOD Snow Module

Valentina Premier, Francesca Moschini, Jesús Casado-Rodríguez, Davide Bavera, Carlo Marin, and Alberto Pistocchi

Abstract. LISFLOOD is a comprehensive hydrological model widely used in Europe. Among various hydrological processes, it simulates snowmelt using a degree-day-based snow module. Traditionally, the snowmelt coefficient is calibrated using discharge data. This study evaluates LISFLOOD's current snow module and explores an alternative calibration approach based on Earth Observation (EO) derived snow cover fraction (SCF) observations across nine European basins with varying degrees of snow cover influence. We utilize a novel integration of Sentinel-2 and MODIS data to address issues related to data gaps and missed snow cover detection in complex topography. Using EO SCF, we estimate a spatially distributed snowmelt coefficient, which contrasts with the uniform coefficients currently used in LISFLOOD. The new calibration approach, involving an optimization routine to match modeled and observed SCF, outperforms a previous method that did not deal with fractional snow as well as discontinuous snow cover periods. When compared with EO SCF, the traditional calibration shows bias values ranging from -0.56 % to 22.50 %, with root mean squared error (RMSE) values varying from 20.43 % to 54.64 %. We obtained improvements up to 8 % both in bias and RMSE when the optimization approach is used. While the optimized coefficients did not significantly alter simulated discharge, the improved SCA representation led in some cases to shifts in the timing and magnitude of snowmelt and total runoff. These findings highlight the potential of integrating EO data to enhance snowmelt simulations and improve water balance predictions, with important implications for hydrological modeling and water resource management.

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Valentina Premier, Francesca Moschini, Jesús Casado-Rodríguez, Davide Bavera, Carlo Marin, and Alberto Pistocchi

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-2157', Anonymous Referee #1, 26 May 2025
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Valentina Premier, 08 Jul 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-2157', Francesco Avanzi, 29 Jun 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Valentina Premier, 08 Aug 2025
  • RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-2157', Anonymous Referee #3, 09 Jul 2025
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Valentina Premier, 08 Aug 2025
Valentina Premier, Francesca Moschini, Jesús Casado-Rodríguez, Davide Bavera, Carlo Marin, and Alberto Pistocchi

Data sets

Daily Snow Cover Fraction (SCF) for the nine river basins across Europe (1st October 2017 - 30th September 2023) V. Premier et al. https://zenodo.org/records/14961639

Model code and software

SCA4LISFLOOD: Snow Module Evaluation for LISFLOOD Valentina Premier https://github.com/vpremier/SCA4LISFLOOD

Valentina Premier, Francesca Moschini, Jesús Casado-Rodríguez, Davide Bavera, Carlo Marin, and Alberto Pistocchi

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Short summary
Earth observation-derived snow cover data is valuable for evaluating and improving snow modules in hydrological models. We propose a novel calibration of LISFLOOD’s snowmelt coefficient by minimizing errors between observed and modeled snow cover fraction, enhancing pixel-scale accuracy. While basin-scale performance shows minor discrepancies, a more realistic snow module leads to shifts in the timing and magnitude of snowmelt and total runoff, thus affecting the water balance.
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