Snow in Focus: New EU Project Tackles Hidden Driver of Climate Change

By therese [dot] ek [at] mgeo [dot] lu [dot] se (Therese Ek) - published 7 July 2026

Sun shining through snow covered tree tops

Climate change is transforming the coldest regions of our planet at an unprecedented pace. Yet one of the key factors governing how ice sheets, glaciers, and permafrost respond is often overlooked: snow. A new EU-funded research project aims to change that.

SnowPI (Polar Snow, Permafrost and Inland Ice in a Changing World), a newly launched Horizon Europe research project, is putting snow at the centre of climate science. Uniting 14 partners from across Europe, with Lund University, represented by MERGE deputy coordinator David Wårlind, as the only Swedish partner, the project will shed light on how it shapes polar environments—and what that means for the rest of the world.