The hydrological drought in Northern Italy in 2022 was, in large part, the consequence of a snow drought in the Italian Alps in the winter of 2021/22 and the resulting deficit of melt water runoff. In this communication, we assessed the snow-cover dynamics in nine Alpine Italian catchments using long time series of satellite-derived snow line elevation (SLE) measurements. We compared the SLE of the hydrological year 2021/22 to the long-term dynamics of 1985–2021. In early 2022, the SLE was located several hundred meters above the expected median values in all of the nine catchments. This resulted in deficits of snow-covered area of up to 83% in the Western Alps (catchment of Sesia, March 2022) and up to 61% in the Eastern Alps (Brenta, March 2022) compared to the long-term median. Although snow-cover data from optical satellite imagery do not contain information about snow depth and water content, in a preliminary qualitative analysis, the derived SLE dynamics show good agreement with the Standardized Snowpack Index (SSPI) which is based on the snow water equivalent (SWE). While the exact relationships between SLE, SWE, and runoff have to be explored further on the catchment basis, long-time series of SLE may have potential for use in drought early warning systems.

In Sydney, Australia, the conversion of a historical site into a museum was not merely an architectural feat but a cultural one as well. Peter Zellner describes how the architect's imagination sought to reveal a multilayered story still in the making. The author is an architect, educator and critic currently based in Melbourne, Australia. His architectural projects have been published in Japan and the United Kingdom, and he has lectured internationally about his interest in the space between virtual and architectural space. He is a lecturer in design at the Faculty of Environmental Design and Construction, RMFT University, Melbourne.

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In Sydney, Australia, the conversion of a historical site into a museum was not merely an architectural feat but a cultural one as well. Peter Zellner describes how the architect’s imagination sought to reveal a multilayered story still in the making. The author is an architect, educator and critic currently based in Melbourne, Australia. His architectural projects have been published in Japan and the United Kingdom, and he has lectured internationally about his interest in the space between virtual and architectural space. He is a lecturer in design at the Faculty of Environmental Design and Construction, RMIT University, Melbourne.