Item: MODELING WIND SLABS WITH THE SNOWPACK MODEL
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Title: MODELING WIND SLABS WITH THE SNOWPACK MODEL
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Bert Kruyt [ Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate NVE, Oslo, Norway ]
- Nander Wever [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
- Karsten Müller [ Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate NVE, Oslo, Norway ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Computer simulations of snowpack stratigraphy and stability are increasingly being used to assist avalanche forecasting. These models make information about the snowpack continuously available, even in remote locations where observations are sparse. This approach has proven useful for widespread and long-lived avalanche problems such as persistent weak layers or wet snow avalanche problems. Wind slabs on the other hand, are harder for computer models to predict, since their formation can depend on localized terrain features that may not be resolved by the spatial resolution of the forcing data. Additionally, the weak layer formed by a wind-slab problem is often short-lived, which makes model validation challenging. As a result, wind slab problems have not been well represented in the SNOWPACK model. However, the SNOWPACK model has seen continuous development over recent years to calculate snow erosion by wind based on surface snow properties, and to derive snow transport rates. Here we present new and improved functionality to describe the formation of wind slabs with the SNOWPACK model, based on these recent model developments. We describe how densification through wind can be modeled using the redeposit mode, and how this mode is used in an advanced wind redistribution scheme. We show how the new redistribution scheme, in combination with virtual slopes, can be applied to model the formation of wind slabs. Lastly, we implemented changes to the drift index to yield a more realistic wind slab indicator for forecasters. This refined index can be calculated for each individual slope aspect, providing some generalized information about the aspects where wind slabs are likely to be found. These developments mark a small but important step forward in the use of snow models in avalanche forecasting.
Object ID: ISSW2026_O7.7.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098659
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Bert Kruyt
Keywords: Snow, Wind, Modeling, SNOWPACK, AWSOME.
Page Number(s): 1150 - 1157
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