International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

skip navigation

Digital Collections Home

Item: Human-Triggered Slab Avalanche Properties From the Catalan Pyrenees

    • Title: Human-Triggered Slab Avalanche Properties From the Catalan Pyrenees

      Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2016 Proceedings, Breckenridge, CO, USA

      Authors:

      • Montse Bacardit  [ Centre de Lauegi - Conselh Generau d'Aran, Vielha e Mijaran, Spain ]
      • Ivan Moner  [ Centre de Lauegi - Conselh Generau d'Aran, Vielha e Mijaran, Spain ]
      • Jordi Gavaldà  [ Centre de Lauegi - Conselh Generau d'Aran, Vielha e Mijaran, Spain ]
      • Glòria Martí  [ Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain ]
      • Carles Garcia  [ Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain ]

      Date: 2016-10-02

      Abstract: During the last three decades in the Catalan Pyrenees (Eastern side of the range), data on avalanche and snowpack characteristics from reported human-triggered slabs (including remotely triggered slab avalanches, whumpfs and shooting cracks) have been collected. This study investigates the characteristics of the human-triggered avalanches from the Catalan Pyrenees, and the related snowpack properties for which a snow profile is available. The research was already started by the authors in 2008 with a limited data set of snow profiles next to skier-triggered slabs and skier-tested slopes in order to compare the snowpack conditions of unstable and stable slopes. The avalanche and snow cover properties from the Pyrenean data set are brought into comparison with previous findings of similar studies on human-triggered slab avalanches from Switzerland and Canada. Finally, based on the current larger unstable profiles database, the previous established Pyrenean structural stability indexes in 2008 were revised and thresholds readjusted in order to produce better results in the particular snow climate of the Pyrenees.

      Object ID: ISSW16_P1.09.pdf

      Language of Article: English

      Presenter(s):

      Keywords: slab avalanche, avalanche release, human-triggering, snowpack structure, snowpack stability

      Page Number(s): 541-547

      Subjects: slab avalanche avalanche release human triggered

    • Get Full Article

Back to Home page