|
Titel |
Automated identification of potential snow avalanche release areas based on digital elevation models |
VerfasserIn |
Y. Bühler, S. Kumar, J. Veitinger, M. Christen, A. Stoffel, Snehmani |
Medientyp |
Artikel
|
Sprache |
Englisch
|
ISSN |
1561-8633
|
Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ; 13, no. 5 ; Nr. 13, no. 5 (2013-05-24), S.1321-1335 |
Datensatznummer |
250018451
|
Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/nhess-13-1321-2013.pdf |
|
|
|
Zusammenfassung |
The identification of snow avalanche release areas is a very difficult task.
The release mechanism of snow avalanches depends on many different terrain,
meteorological, snowpack and triggering parameters and their
interactions, which are very difficult to assess. In many alpine regions
such as the Indian Himalaya, nearly no information on avalanche release
areas exists mainly due to the very rough and poorly accessible terrain, the
vast size of the region and the lack of avalanche records. However avalanche
release information is urgently required for numerical simulation of
avalanche events to plan mitigation measures, for hazard mapping and to
secure important roads. The Rohtang tunnel access road near Manali, Himachal
Pradesh, India, is such an example. By far the most reliable way to identify
avalanche release areas is using historic avalanche records and field
investigations accomplished by avalanche experts in the formation zones. But
both methods are not feasible for this area due to the rough terrain, its
vast extent and lack of time. Therefore, we develop an operational, easy-to-use
automated potential release area (PRA) detection tool in Python/ArcGIS
which uses high spatial resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) and
forest cover information derived from airborne remote sensing instruments as
input. Such instruments can acquire spatially continuous data even over
inaccessible terrain and cover large areas. We validate our tool using a
database of historic avalanches acquired over 56 yr in the neighborhood
of Davos, Switzerland, and apply this method for the avalanche tracks along
the Rohtang tunnel access road. This tool, used by avalanche experts,
delivers valuable input to identify focus areas for more-detailed
investigations on avalanche release areas in remote regions such as the
Indian Himalaya and is a precondition for large-scale avalanche hazard
mapping. |
|
|
Teil von |
|
|
|
|
|
|