Year: 2013
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Terrain is one of the main factors contributing to avalanche formation and important for\nthe assessment of avalanche risk. Terrain characteristics of small to medium human triggered avalanches\nhave however been the subject of limited attention. This work focused on analyzing the terrain\ncharacteristics of human triggered avalanches and their starting zones. Photos and shapes of avalanches\nin Switzerland between 1999/2000 and 2009/2010 and a high-quality digital elevation models\n(ADS-DOM) were used for this study. It was possible to digitalize 142 starting zones and to analyse\nthem at high resolution with the ADS-DOM. Geomorphometric methods were used to extract different\nterrain features (ridges, slope, aspect, roughness, exposure and curvature) from the DEM. Furthermore\na method was developed to estimate starting zones from a complete avalanche perimeter and to\ndivide the starting zones automatically in different districts. \nThe majority of the avalanches were released on planar or concave slopes and the roughness of the\nterrain corresponded a relatively constant debris covered surface. The slope angle often decreased\nfrom the crown to the Stauchwall.
Authors: Irene Vontobel, Stephan Harvey, Ross S. Purves
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2168665644