Item: REGIONAL-SCALE AVALANCHE MODELING WITH COM4FLOWPY—POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS FOR CONSIDERING AVALANCHE-FOREST INTERACTION ALONG THE AVALANCHE TRACK
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Title: REGIONAL-SCALE AVALANCHE MODELING WITH COM4FLOWPY—POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS FOR CONSIDERING AVALANCHE-FOREST INTERACTION ALONG THE AVALANCHE TRACK
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Andreas Huber [ Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Department of Natural Hazards, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
- Laura Saxer [ Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Department of Natural Hazards, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
- Paula Spannring [ Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Department of Natural Hazards, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
- Christoph Hesselbach [ Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Department of Natural Hazards, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
- Michael Neuhauser [ Department of Mechatronics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
- Christopher J.L. D’Amboise [ Center for Avalanche Research and Education, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ]
- Michaela Teich [ Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Department of Natural Hazards, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: Flow-Py is an empirically motivated tool for the simulation of gravitational mass flows (GMFs) and has recently been integrated into the Open Avalanche Framework AvaFrame (www.avaframe.org), where it is now available and actively maintained under the name com4FlowPy. The model employs a simple angle-of-reach approach for modeling runout distances in combination with a raster-based routing routine for modeling lateral process spreading and can be used to identify process areas (paths and runout zones) and corresponding intensities of the respective GMFs. The simple model concept and open-source code have encouraged several modifications and extensions to com4FlowPy. Among others the model has been extended to utilize forest information as an additional input layer (e.g. forest spatial extent and a lumped forest structure index) and consider forest effects on GMF runout by modifying model behavior on forested raster cells. In recent years, the model has been used to model different types of GMFs (e.g. snow avalanches and rockfall) in several regional-scale case studies. Among other applications the simulation tool has been employed to model avalanche runout in model-chains for automated Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) mapping in North America and Europe. Experiences from these applications have shown that considering forest effects on avalanche runout in forested terrain tends to produce results which are in better alignment with observed runouts and local expert assessments compared to model applications neglecting these effects. However, reported model parameters (with and without consideration of avalanche-forest interaction) vary considerably across studies and different authors have stressed the need for careful adjustment of model parameters to local conditions. In this study we focus on the ”forest friction” module implemented in com4FlowPy. We analyze parameter sensitivities for this module for a set of generic examples with controlled boundary conditions (topography, forest set-up) and also provide a case study example based on an actual avalanche path in the Austrian Alps.
Object ID: ISSW2024_P4.1.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Michaela Teich
Keywords: avalanche modeling, forest-effects, regional-scale, empirical, AvaFrame
Page Number(s): 587 - 594
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