International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: The Stavbrekka glide avalanche in Norway - evaluations after three years of monitoring

• • Title: The Stavbrekka glide avalanche in Norway - evaluations after three years of monitoring

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2018, Innsbruck, Austria

    Authors:

    • Tore Humstad  [ AINEVA, Trento Italy ]  [ Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Oslo/Molde/Tromsø, Norway ]
    • Halgeir Dahle  [ Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Oslo/Molde/Tromsø, Norway ]
    • Knut Inge Orset  [ Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Oslo/Molde/Tromsø, Norway ]
    • Martin VenÃ¥s  [ Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Oslo/Molde/Tromsø, Norway ]
    • Ingrid Skrede  [ Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Oslo/Stranda/Tromsø, Norway ]

    Date: 2018-10-07

    Abstract: The Stavbrekka glide avalanche path, situated in the southern Norway mountain range, gives every spring a challenge to the seasonal opening of the tourist road between Geiranger and Strynefjellet. In order to understand the seemingly unpredictable behavior of the gliding snow and to reduce the risk for maintenance personnel and road users, the glide avalanche has been monitored for several winter seasons. The methods used have been glide shoes at the gliding base, ground based InSAR radar, time-lapse photography and snow pack temperature measurements. Last winter, the temperatures 75 cm into the ground were also logged. The measurements have given valuable insight into hazard evaluation. Threshold values for snow gliding are established based on the last three years of monitoring. Glide shoe measurements proved to be a good tool for documenting the actual glide velocities prior to the avalanche releases. The temperature measurements work well as an indicator for when the avalanche is expected to be imminent. Lastly, the InSAR technology seems to be the most convenient tool for a continuous evaluation of the avalanche hazard and a near real-time alert system. Suggested threshold values could implicate that situations should be followed carefully as soon as the velocity exceeds 5 cm/h. Action should be taken at latest when the velocity exceeds 15 cm/h.

    Object ID: ISSW2018_P05.8.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s):

    Keywords: wet snow, glide avalanche, monitoring, instrumentation

    Page Number(s): 457-461

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