International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: THE EAWS MATRIX, A LOOK-UP TABLE FOR REGIONAL AVALANCHE DANGER LEVEL ASSESSMENT, AND ITS UNDERLYING CONCEPT

• • Title: THE EAWS MATRIX, A LOOK-UP TABLE FOR REGIONAL AVALANCHE DANGER LEVEL ASSESSMENT, AND ITS UNDERLYING CONCEPT

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon

    Authors:

    • Karsten Müller  [ Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Oslo, Norway ]
    • Frank Techel  [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland ]
    • Christoph Mitterer  [ Avalanche Warning Service Tyrol, Innsbruck, Austria ]
    • Thomas Feistl  [ Bavarian Avalanche Warning Service, Munich, Germany ]
    • Stefano Sofia  [ AINEVA, Ancona, Italy ]
    • Nicolas Roux  [ Météo France, Briançon, France ]
    • Petter Palmgren  [ The Avalanche Forecast Service at Swedish EPA, Stockholm, Sweden ]
    • Guillem M. Bellido  [ Andorran Weather and Avalanche Service, Andorra la Vella, Andorra ]
    • Lorenzo Bertranda9  [ Meteomont Carabinieri, Italy ]

    Date: 2023-10-08

    Abstract: With the motivation to increase consistency between forecasters and warning services when assessing regional avalanche danger, a working group of the European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS) was assigned to define the factors determining regional avalanche danger, and to develop a workflow and a look-up table – referred to as EAWS Matrix - assisting forecasters with the consistent assignment of a danger level. The workflow starts by an evaluation of avalanche problems relevant for the given region. Each avalanche problem is assessed according to three factors determining regional avalanche danger: i) snowpack stability, ii) the frequency of snowpack stability, and iii) avalanche size. Combining the three factors, each avalanche problem is assigned a danger level using the EAWS Matrix. The highest resulting level is issued for the region. Workflow, definitions, and the look-up table were accepted at the EAWS general assembly in 2022. We present workflow, definitions, and the corresponding EAWS Matrix, and the process and considerations that led to this proposal.

    Object ID: ISSW2023_O5.05.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): Karsten Müller

    Keywords: avalanche, forecasting, danger level, matrix, workflow, consistency

    Page Number(s): 540 - 546

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