Empirical <i>α</i>–<i>β</i> runout modelling of snow avalanches in the Catalan Pyrenees

Reconstructing snow avalanches in the Southeastern Pyrenees

A regional study of snow avalanche processes was undertaken in the SE Pyrenees. Dendrogeomorphology was used to date and reconstruct large-scale snow avalanche events that occurred in the last four decades. Dendrochronological analyses yielded the dates of nine winters when avalanches occurred in the recent past in six studied avalanche paths. Some of these avalanches were already known, but ot...

Mechanics of snow avalanches

The main problems of mechanics of snow avalanches are those of: (1) predicting avalanches, (2) avalanche motion, (3) the action of an avalanche upon obstacles, (4) the air wave, (5) the slow moving snow cover and its interaction with protective constructions and (6) the problem of artificial release of avalanches. This paper surveys the modern state of scientific knowledge about the nature of p...

Snow Avalanches, Ice Avalanches and Glacier Surges

On the Predictability of Snow Avalanches

Snow avalanches are generally rare and occasionally extreme events. In the general context of prediction and predictably of extreme events, we will examine whether snow avalanches are predictable based on a few examples of forecasts at different scales. Clearly, avalanche predictability depends on scale. When the regional avalanche danger is High or Very High (Extreme), an avalanche is likely s...

Opening angle of loose-snow avalanches