Despite an ice-cold winter with more snow this year, climate change is having a dramatic impact on Europe’s snow cover which is in steady decline. Meanwhile tectonic shifts at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland have seen dramatic changes to the landscape there due to volcanic eruptions, which is just one example of how the ground continues to shift across Europe. These are the some of the issues raised in the first two data-driven ‘snapshot’ stories launched today by the European Environment Agency, which aim to highlight the value of data and imagery available through the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS).
The stories showcased in the snapshots visualise how satellite data harvested from the Copernicus earth observation and monitoring programme’s almost real-time datasets and viewers can be used to illustrate the latest climate and environmental changes, trends and patterns of Europe’s changing landscapes Further stories are planned to highlight data on Europe’s forest cover.
Let it snow!
Across Europe, changes in snow cover are among the clearest signs of climate change. While many southern and mid-altitude regions (including the Alps and Pyrenees) are seeing shorter snow seasons and shrinking snowpacks, other areas (particularly in Scandinavia) have experienced unexpected increases in snowfall in recent years. These regional contrasts underscore the complexity of Europe’s changing snow dynamics. What is becoming increasingly clear is that snow no longer behaves as it once did and high levels of interannual variation are becoming the norm.
Europe in motion
Across Europe, ground motion is a growing area of concern, with many regions experiencing measurable and sometimes rapid changes to the landscape. In Iceland, volcanic activity has reignited in the Reykjanes Peninsula after 800 years of silence, with major implications for Icelanders and infrastructure. In other parts of Europe coastlines are facing the dual threat of rising seas and sinking land, Some of these shifts are natural (such as those caused by tectonic activity, glacial rebound, or volcanic activity) but many are driven by human activity. Groundwater extraction, mining, and urban development can accelerate land subsidence, sometimes with serious consequences, as illustrated by the snapshot on ground motion.
Over 200 data sets and viewers
The snapshot stories are examples of how 250 of the EEA’s many online land data sets can be used by practitioners, academics or journalists free of charge. Data from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service can be used to find stories, add evidence, and visualise environmental change. The data show how forests, cities, farmland, and natural areas evolve over time, helping to uncover trends linked to climate change, deforestation, urbanisation, or land degradation.
