TLS snow distribution maps of the Weisssee snow research site (Kaunertal, Austria)

The data set comprises the inter- and intra-annual snow depth distribution recorded by TLS scans at Weisssee snow research site in Austria between November 2014 and May 2018. The data set comprises 23 snow-on digital elevation models (DEM), one snow-off DEM, and the difference raster calculated between a snow-off and snow-on scans. The relative accuracy of the TLS scans was determined by measuring the distance between snow-free planes from the snow-on and snow-off scans and shows mean values smaller than 0.03 m and standard deviations ranging between 0.02 and 0.1 m. The reliability of the snow depths derived from TLS was further assessed by comparing snow depths from snow probing, GNSS measurements, and continuous snow depth measurements from the weather station. Comparison of the different measurement methods shows average deviations of less than 0.1 m. The data can be used for analysing snow distributions, or for assessing the representativeness of conventional snow depth sensors. Other use cases include assessing other in-situ sensors like Cosmic-Ray-Neutron Sensors, or space-borne snow-covered area products. More details are described in an article submitted to the Water Resources Research Special Issue: Advances in remote sensing, measurement, and simulation of seasonal snow.