On the correlation between a sub-level qualifier refining the danger level with observations and models relating to the contributing factors of avalanche danger [PDF]
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2022 Forecasting avalanche danger at a regional scale is a largely data-driven yet also experience-based decision-making process by human experts. In the case of public avalanche forecasts, this assessment process terminates in an expert judgment concerning ...
F. Techel +4 more
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The relevance of rock shape over mass—implications for rockfall hazard assessments
Nature Communications, 2021 The awareness of rock shape dependence in rockfall hazard assessment is growing, but experimental and field studies are scarce. This study presents a large data set of induced single block rockfall events quantifying the influence of rock shape and mass ...
Andrin Caviezel +23 more
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Wind tunnel experiments: cold-air pooling and atmospheric decoupling above a melting snow patch [PDF]
The Cryosphere, 2016 The longevity of perennial snowfields is not fully understood, but it is known that strong atmospheric stability and thus boundary-layer decoupling limit the amount of (sensible and latent) heat that can be transmitted from the atmosphere to the snow ...
R. Mott +4 more
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Reconstruction of four-dimensional rockfall trajectories using remote sensing and rock-based accelerometers and gyroscopes [PDF]
Earth Surface Dynamics, 2019 This work focuses on the in-depth reconstruction of the full set of parameters of interest in single-block rockfall trajectories. A comprehensive understanding of rockfall trajectories holds the promise to enhance the application of numerical models for ...
A. Caviezel +9 more
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Micro-mechanical insights into the dynamics of crack propagation in snow fracture experiments
Scientific Reports, 2021 Dry-snow slab avalanches result from crack propagation in a highly porous weak layer buried within a stratified and metastable snowpack. While our understanding of slab avalanche mechanisms improved with recent experimental and numerical advances ...
Grégoire Bobillier +5 more
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Operational snow-hydrological modeling for Switzerland
Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023 The seasonal evolution of snow cover has significant impacts on the hydrological cycle and microclimate in mountainous regions. However, snow processes also play a crucial role in triggering alpine mass movements and flooding, posing risks to people and ...
Rebecca Mott +12 more
doaj +1 more source
On snow stability interpretation of extended column test results [PDF]
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2020 Snow instability tests provide valuable information regarding the stability of the snowpack. Test results are key data used to prepare public avalanche forecasts.
F. Techel +5 more
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Snow instability evaluation: calculating the skier-induced stress in a multi-layered snowpack [PDF]
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2016 The process of dry-snow slab avalanche formation can be divided into two phases: failure initiation and crack propagation. Several approaches tried to quantify slab avalanche release probability in terms of failure initiation based on shear stress and ...
F. Monti +3 more
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Introducing CRYOWRF v1.0: multiscale atmospheric flow simulations with advanced snow cover modelling [PDF]
Geoscientific Model Development, 2023 Accurately simulating snow cover dynamics and the snow–atmosphere coupling is of major importance for topics as wide-ranging as water resources, natural hazards, and climate change impacts with consequences for sea level rise.
V. Sharma +6 more
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Automated prediction of wet-snow avalanche activity in the Swiss Alps
Journal of Glaciology, 2023 Wet-snow avalanches are triggered by the infiltration of liquid water which weakens the snowpack. Wet-snow avalanches are among the most destructive avalanches, yet their release mechanism is not sufficiently understood for a process-based prediction ...
Martin Hendrick +6 more
doaj +1 more source