Item: A STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SLAB COHESION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE STABILITY OF THE SNOW COVER
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Title: A STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SLAB COHESION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE STABILITY OF THE SNOW COVER
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Megan Cramb [ Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada ] [ Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Québec, Canada ]
- Alexandre Langlois [ Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada ] [ Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Québec, Canada ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Unconsolidated snow, particularly during or immediately following a storm, is often expected to release as loose avalanches. However, there are numerous instances of slab avalanches releasing from conditions where the snow was more cohesive than expected. These types of avalanches, often termed a 'soft slab', or similar, are inconsistently reported using various terminology. This research project proposes a threshold value of cohesion, based on measurable snowpack properties. Snowpack test results from Extended Column Tests and Compression Tests are presented and correlated to snowpack properties, measured using the InfraRed Integrating Sphere (IRIS), Blade Hardness Gauge (BHG), and Hand Hardness (HH) observations. Based on these results, a threshold value for identifying slab cohesion is proposed, to aid in determining whether storm snow is more likely to release as a dry loose or slab avalanche.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P4.49.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790099382
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Megan Cramb
Keywords: Cohesion, Slab Development, Storm Slab, Dry Loose, Soft Slab, Unconsolidated Snow
Page Number(s): 2167 - 2174
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