Snow avalanches

Schweizer, Jürg; Bartelt, Perry; Herwijnen, Alec van

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-817129-5.00001-9

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 139 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The number of avalanche fatalities per year due to snow avalanches is estimated to be about 250 worldwide. In Europe and North America alone, avalanches claimed the lives of about 1900 people between 2000/2001 and 2009/2010 (Schweizer et al, 2021). In Switzerland avalanches caused 37% of 1023 fatalities associated to natural hazards between 1946 and 2015 (~5.5 fatalities year -1 ), making it by far the deadliest category (Badoux et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the USA ~16 fatalities year -1 occurred between 1950 and 2018 (Peitzsch et al, 2020). Especially deadly events have historically been associated with mountain warfare, ranging from an event during an Alps traverse in 218 BC to the Alp traverse by Napoleon in the 19 th century, fighting in the Dolomites during World War I as well as impacts along the Indo-Pakistan border (Schweizer et al, 2021). Individual death tolls of many thousands have also been recorded in more recent past in the Andes (Plafker and Ericksen, 1978;Carey, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Review article: Snow and ice avalanches in high mountain Asia – scientific, local and indigenous knowledge

Acharya

Steiner

Walizada

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The cryosphere in high mountain Asia (HMA) not only sustains livelihoods of people residing downstream through its capacity to store water but also holds potential for hazards. One of these hazards, avalanches, so far remains poorly studied as the complex relationship between climate and potential triggers is poorly understood due to lack of long-term observations, inaccessibility, severe weather conditions, and financial and logistic constraints. In this study, available literature was reviewed covering the period from the late 20th century to June 2022 to identify research and societal gaps and propose future directions of research and mitigation strategies. Beyond scientific literature, technical reports, newspapers, social media and other local sources were consulted to compile a comprehensive, open access and version controlled database of avalanche events and their associated impacts. Over 681 avalanches with more than 3131 human fatalities were identified in eight countries of the region. Afghanistan has the highest recorded avalanche fatalities (1057) followed by India (952) and Nepal (508). Additionally, 564 people lost their lives while climbing peaks above 4500 m a.s.l., one third of which were staff employed as guides or porters. This makes it a less deadly hazard than in the less populated European Alps for example, but with a considerably larger number of people affected who did not voluntarily expose themselves to avalanche risk. Although fatalities are significant, and local long-term impacts of avalanches may be considerable, so far, limited holistic adaptation or mitigation measures exist in the region. These measures generally rely on local and indigenous knowledge adapted with modern technologies. Considering the high impact avalanches have in the region we suggest to further develop adaptation measures including hazard zonation maps based on datasets of historic events and modelling efforts. This should however happen acknowledging the already existing knowledge in the region and in close coordination with communities and local government and civil society stakeholders. More research studies should also be attempted to understand trends and drivers of avalanches in the region.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review article: Snow and ice avalanches in high mountain Asia – scientific, local and indigenous knowledge

Acharya

Steiner

Walizada

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Avalanches can endanger exposed communities, transportation corridors, transmission and communication lines, and pipelines, and may seriously hinder the sustainable development of human society in mountainous areas (Wastl et al, 2011;Schweizer et al, 2021). Catastrophes caused by avalanches have occurred in some Asian alpine countries each year, such as the regional snow avalanche in the Kashmir on 14-16 January 2020, which resulted in more than 160 deaths; a snow avalanche that caused more than 7 deaths in southern Kazakhstan on 17 February 2017; and a regional snow avalanche that paralyzed regional transport and caused 4 deaths in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 29 March 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The release form of avalanches is diversified, and the formation mechanisms of different types of avalanches are different due to snowpack stratigraphy, soil temperature and moisture, and regional weather patterns (van Herwijnen and Jamieson, 2007;Ceaglio et al, 2017;Köhler et al, 2018;Shandro and Haegeli, 2018). The formation of different snow avalanche types has been investigated in the past (Clarke and McClung, 1999;Ancey and Bain, 2015;Schweizer et al, 2021). Researchers divided an avalanche into full-depth and surface-layer according to the position of the failure layer (Clarke and McClung, 1999;Bartelt et al, 2012;Schweizer et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The formation of different snow avalanche types has been investigated in the past (Clarke and McClung, 1999;Ancey and Bain, 2015;Schweizer et al, 2021). Researchers divided an avalanche into full-depth and surface-layer according to the position of the failure layer (Clarke and McClung, 1999;Bartelt et al, 2012;Schweizer et al, 2021). Full-depth avalanche releases have been summarized in previous reviewing publications (Höller, 2014;Ancey and Bain, 2015), which concluded that a full-depth avalanche originates from a failure at the snow-soil interface when it is wet so that the basal friction is reduced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Characteristics and hazards of different snow avalanche types in a continental snow climate region in the Central Tianshan Mountains

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Snow avalanches are a common natural hazard in many countries with seasonally snow-covered mountains. The avalanche hazard varies with snow avalanche type in different snow climate regions and at different times. The ability to understand the characteristics of avalanche activity and hazards of different snow avalanche types is a prerequisite for improving avalanche disaster management in the mid-altitude region of the Central Tianshan Mountains. In this study, we collected data related to avalanche, snowpack, and meteorology during four snow seasons (from 2015 to 2019), and analysed the characteristics and hazards of different types of avalanches. The snow climate of the mid-altitude region of the Central Tianshan Mountains was examined using a snow climate classification scheme, and the results showed that the mountain range has a continental snow climate. To quantify the hazards of different types of avalanches and describe their situation over time in the continental snow climate region, this study used the avalanche hazard degree to assess the hazards of four types of avalanches, i.e., full-depth dry snow avalanches, full-depth wet snow avalanches, surface-layer dry snow avalanches, and surface-layer wet snow avalanches. The results indicated that surface-layer dry snow avalanches were characterized by large sizes and high release frequencies, which made them having the highest avalanche hazard degree in the Central Tianshan Mountains with a continental snow climate. The overall avalanche hazard showed a single peak pattern over time during the snow season, and the greatest hazard occurred in the second half of February when the snowpack was deep and the temperature increased. This study can help the disaster and emergency management departments rationally arrange avalanche relief resources and develop avalanche prevention strategies.

show abstract

Timing and identification of potential snow avalanche types: a case study of the central Tianshan Mountains

Hao

Zhang

2021

Landslides

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Snow avalanches

Cited by 17 publications

References 139 publications

Review article: Snow and ice avalanches in high mountain Asia – scientific, local and indigenous knowledge

Review article: Snow and ice avalanches in high mountain Asia – scientific, local and indigenous knowledge

Characteristics and hazards of different snow avalanche types in a continental snow climate region in the Central Tianshan Mountains

Timing and identification of potential snow avalanche types: a case study of the central Tianshan Mountains

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About