Modelling snowpack stability from simulated snow stratigraphy: Summary and implementation examples

Viallon-Galinier, Léo; Hagenmuller, Pascal; Reuter, Benjamin; Eckert, Nicolas

doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2022.103596

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Then, MEPRA compares the shear strength to the shear stress in the weak layer (due to the weight of the overlying slab and skier induced stress) (Giraud et al, 2002;Viallon-Galinier et al, 2022). The stress in the weak layer is adapted to include so-called bridging effects, for instance, the effect of a melt-freeze crust that redistributes the stresses due to surface weights (Giraud et al, 2002;Thumlert and Jamieson, 2014).…”

Section: Artificial Triggering Of Dry Slab Avalanchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the MEPRA stability indicator for estimation of the dry-snow stability and implemented the LW C index for wet snow, while a large variety of other stability indicators exists (Viallon-Galinier et al, 2022). The MEPRA indicator used here is based on discrete values which can limit the accuracy of the comparison between two simulations.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In such case, the potential impact of dust on surface stability is missed and the ∆ M is null. For example, the approach of Reuter et al (2022) can help to circumvent this limitation by tracking the weak layers over time and assessing the avalanche problem types based on their stability. Moreover, the wet-snow instability indicator used in our study is sensitive to the liquid water percolation scheme used in the model.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Saharan dust deposition impact snowpack stability in the French Alps?

Dick

Viallon-Galinier

Tuzet

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Saharan dust deposits can turn snow covered mountains into a spectacular orange landscape. When avalanches release, a formerly buried dust layer can become apparent, possibly marking the base of the crown. This appearance may suggest a relation between avalanche release and the prior deposited dust, which found mention among recreationists and avalanche professionals alike. While dust deposition affects the absorption of solar energy altering snowpack temperatures and melt rates, to date, there is no clear scientific evidence that dust deposition can significantly modify avalanche activity. Here we investigate, using an ensemble snow cover model, the impact of dust deposition on snow properties and mechanical stability by comparing simulations with and without dust deposition for synthetic and observed dust deposition events. The study focuses on two typical avalanche situations: artificial triggering on persistent weak layers and natural release of wet-snow avalanches. We study several situations with and without dust deposition and demonstrate how sensitive the impact of dust deposition is to the deposited dust mass, the slope aspect, the elevation and the meteorological conditions following the dust deposition. The additional energy absorbed by the dust layer speeds up warming and may advance surface wetting to ease the formation of a melt-freeze crust. If the crust is buried, the phenomenon of a strong temperature gradient close to the crust may promote the formation of persistent weak layers inside the snowpack after weak layer burial. On the other hand, the melt-freeze crust may also lead to an increase of snowpack stability by redistributing the stress applied to buried weak layers. Regarding wet-snow instabilities, we show that dust deposition can advance the onset of wet-snow avalanche activity by up to one month in spring, as hypothesized in previous studies. Thus, the impact of Saharan dust deposition on snow mechanical stability can be either neutral, positive or negative, depending on the local snow and meteorological conditions. Even though not all physical processes are implemented, state-of the art snow cover models are able to mimic the speed-up of crust formation and snow instability models can point out relevant situations for avalanche forecasting.

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Section: Artificial Triggering Of Dry Slab Avalanchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Saharan dust deposition impact snowpack stability in the French Alps?

Dick

Viallon-Galinier

Tuzet

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The formation of dry-slab avalanches has been previously studied from the viewpoint of many factors, such as topography, wind, precipitation amount, snow grain types, and snowpack mechanical stability (Schweizer et al, 2003;Viallon-Galinier et al, 2022). Recently, many studies have developed and improved models for diagnosing the mechanical stability of snowpacks based on the sequential process concept of avalanche formation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, the cracks grown from the failure location to critical lengths rapidly propagate over the slope (crack propagation). Finally, slabs are released if the tensile support is insufficient (tensile failure) (Viallon-Galinier et al, 2022). Failure initiations are traditionally diagnosed using a stability index (SI), a ratio of the snow layer strength to stress, or by an SI with the consideration of extra loadings by a human (Jamieson and Johnston, 1998).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial snowpack properties in a snow-avalanche release area: An extreme dry-slab avalanche case on Mt. Nodanishoji, Japan, in 2021

Katsuyama

Katsushima²,

Adachi³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. An extreme dry-slab snow-avalanche occurred on 10 Jan. 2021 at Mt. Nodanishoji, Gifu, Japan, during a heavy snowfall. The avalanche ran down approximately 2,800 m and caused damage to trees and infrastructures. Although this avalanche was estimated to be the second largest in Japan, physical snowpack properties and their vertical structure and spatial distribution, that caused the avalanche, were not addressed in the release area just after the avalanche fall, mainly due to unsafe and lousy weather. Based on a snow depth distribution observed by an unmanned aerial vehicle and a numerical snowpack simulation in the avalanche release area, the spatial distributions of the mechanical snowpack stability and slab mass and their temporal evolutions were estimated in this study. The procedure was validated by comparing the calculation results with the observed snowpit and spatial snow depth data. The results indicated that two heavy snowfall events, ~3 and 10 days before the avalanche onset, generated two different weak layers made of precipitation particles and associated slabs above other weak layers. The older weak layer was only generated on the northward slope due to its low temperature, whereas the newer layer was predominant over the avalanche release area. The fraction of contributions of the slabs associated with the two weak layers to the total slab mass over the calculation domain was found to be 1 : 2.

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Estimation of Spatial Snowpack Properties in a Snow-Avalanche Release Area: An Extreme Case on Mt. Nodanishoji, Japan, in 2021

Katsuyama,

Katsushima,

Adachi

et al. 2023

J. Disaster Res.

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An extreme dry-slab snow avalanche occurred on January 10, 2021, at Mt. Nodanishoji, Gifu, Japan, during a heavy snowfall. The avalanche ran down a horizontal distance of approximately 2,800 m and damaged trees and infrastructures. This was estimated to be the second largest recorded avalanche in Japan. However, physical snowpack properties and their vertical profiles and spatial distribution, which caused the avalanche, were not addressed in the release area immediately following the avalanche, mainly due to unsafe and lousy weather conditions. Based on a snow depth distribution observed by an unmanned aerial vehicle and a numerical snowpack simulation in the avalanche release area, the spatial distributions of the mechanical snowpack stability and slab mass and their temporal evolution were estimated in this study. The procedure was validated by comparing the calculation results with the observed snowpit and spatial snow depth data. The results indicated that two heavy snowfall events, approximately 3 and 10 days before the avalanche onset, generated two different weak layers made of precipitation particles and associated slabs above the weak layers. The older weak layer was only generated on the northward slope due to its low temperature, whereas the newer layer was predominant over the avalanche release area. The procedure employed in this study is expected to be applied to other avalanche cases in the future.

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Modelling snowpack stability from simulated snow stratigraphy: Summary and implementation examples

Cited by 6 publications

References 72 publications

Can Saharan dust deposition impact snowpack stability in the French Alps?

Can Saharan dust deposition impact snowpack stability in the French Alps?

Spatial snowpack properties in a snow-avalanche release area: An extreme dry-slab avalanche case on Mt. Nodanishoji, Japan, in 2021

Estimation of Spatial Snowpack Properties in a Snow-Avalanche Release Area: An Extreme Case on Mt. Nodanishoji, Japan, in 2021

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