Item: IS ARCTIC SNOW DIFFERENT FROM ALPINE SNOW? FOLLOWING UP ON THE DISCUSSION IN REGARDS TO AVALANCHE FORECASTING
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Title: IS ARCTIC SNOW DIFFERENT FROM ALPINE SNOW? FOLLOWING UP ON THE DISCUSSION IN REGARDS TO AVALANCHE FORECASTING
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Alexander Prokop [ Snow Scan GmbH, Vienna, Austria ]
- Bernhard Hynek [ Geosphere Austria, Vienna, Austria ]
- Eric Bernard [ University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France ]
- Jean-Michel Friedt [ University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France ]
- Florian Tolle [ University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: A discussion at recent ISSWs elaborated on the question if Arctic snow is different from Alpine snow and in what way. Rather than using a physical snow pack model in regions close to the Arctic Circle and investigating its results in terms of snow properties and snow instability we like to focus here on practical examples of daily avalanche forecasting in regions closer to the North Pole such as Svalbard or Greenland. Those regions are meteorological dominantly affected by the North Atlantic Current that transports warm water masses to the North, which influences the avalanche climate. This and other obvious differences in Arctic climatic boundary conditions such as no or little solar radiation during winter months, lower sun angle in spring, stronger and longer lasting winds , and colder air temperatures result in different challenges for avalanche forecasters and different processes and avalanche problems have to be analyzed than in the Alps. Therefore we analyze typical avalanche events of the past with existing meteorological and snow pit data that represent such different processes of avalanche initiation. We focus on process understanding and how avalanche forecasters can address the challenges of Arctic snow pack properties.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P2.57.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790099052
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Alexander Prokop
Keywords: avalanche forecasting, Arctic snow pack, process analysis
Page Number(s): 2204 - 2209
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