Deliverable D 7-7 Report on the interaction between remote monitoring and fore- and nowcasting methods : A deliverable of WP 7 Use of Ground Remote Monitoring Data in avalanche forecasting models

Brüssel

2008

36 S.

Bandaufführung

152902

The Deliverable 7.7 reports on the interaction between remote monitoring and now- and forecasting of hazard from snow avalanches. In order to overcome the restrictions of conventional observation methods, novel remote monitoring techniques such as terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and ground based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (GB SAR) are concurrently operated. Snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) or the snow mass on ground are some of the key parameters in the assessment of avalanche hazard,
for snow, snow drift and avalanche modeling as well as model verification. While the TLS provides maps of the spatial snow depth distribution, the GB SAR can in principle be used to retrieve snow depth and SWE.
Now- and forecast methods of snow avalanches can be classified in three categories according the time scales involved. Long term processes are in the order of month to years, mid term processes are defined as processes with duration of days. Short term processes - the nowcast of avalanche hazard - have duration in order of hours. The deliverable summarizes possible interactions between remote monitoring and the now-
and forecasting process of snow avalanche hazards. TLS and GB SAR data can be used for the improvement of avalanche simulation models resulting in an improved hazard mapping. Additionally remote monitoring provides novel input for scientific studies, but for various reasons the techniques are currently not adequate for operational use. However it can be expected that remote monitoring will enhance the performance of snow avalanche now- and forecast tools in the near future.