Item: WHAT'S THE SCORE - SCORING SNOWPITS FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION OF STABILITY ASSESSMENTS
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Title: WHAT'S THE SCORE - SCORING SNOWPITS FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION OF STABILITY ASSESSMENTS
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon
Authors:
- Dave Richards [ Avalanche Program, Alta Ski Area ]
- Karl Birkeland [ Birkeland Snow and Avalanche Scientific ] [ USDA Forest Service National Avalanche Center ]
- Doug Chabot [ Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center ]
- Jim Earl [ SnowPilot.org ]
Date: 2023-10-08
Abstract: Digging snowpits and utilizing those data for assessing stability is critically important for avalanche professionals who are managing and mitigating avalanche danger. However, quickly and efficiently communicating snowpit assessments to both professional peers and the public can be challenging. Sharing snowpit data and assessments is complicated, especially when sharing results with large numbers of people, such as over a radio at a ski area. To address this issue, we propose a snowpit scoring system – the Grom Score – that provides a rapid snapshot of the current stability. Our system is based on three factors associated with snow stability: crack propagation propensity, ease of crack initiation, and snowpack structure. The propagation propensity score is based on whether or not an Extended Column Test (ECT) propagates, ease of crack initiation is scored by the number of ECT taps, and snowpack structure is scored on whether strong snow overlies weak snow and if a persistent weak layer is present. Each factor gets a score, we sum these scores (1-9), and higher values indicating increased stability. To test the method's effectiveness, we first scored 100 snowpits randomly drawn from the SnowPilot database and compared pit scores to observer's stability ratings. Our initial encouraging results led us to expand our research by automating the scoring method and using it on 3,393 SnowPilot pits. This analysis showed pits with higher scores are more commonly rated as having "Very Good" or "Good" stability, while those with lower scores are typically associated with "Very Poor" or "Poor" ratings. While most avalanche professionals will eventually want and need the nuanced information contained in a complete snow profile, our technique efficiently and quickly communicates basic stability information. Further, our scoring system provides both professionals and the public with a snapshot of stability.
Object ID: ISSW2023_O11.02.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Dave Richards
Keywords: snowpit, scoring, communication, stability, propagation, structure, strength
Page Number(s): 1093 - 1099
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