Peter Gauer

Possible erosion mechanisms in snow avalanches

Abstract Snow erosion and entrainment processes in avalanches are classified according to their mechanisms, the flow regimes in which they occur, and their spatial position within the avalanche. Simple, but process-specific, models are proposed for erosion by impacts, abrasion, plowing and blasting. On the basis of order-of-magnitude estimates, the first three mechanisms are clearly expected to be important. The fourth mechanism stipulates that the compaction of the snow cover ahead of the avalanche leads to the flow of escaping air just in front of the avalanche that may disrupt the snow cover and support formation of a saltation layer. The effects of this hypothetical mechanism resemble those of the plowing mechanism. All mechanisms depend strongly on the snow properties, but, with plausible parameter values, erosion rates at or above the experimentally found rates are obtained. The entrainment rate of an avalanche is most often limited by the shear stress needed to accelerate the eroded snow to avalanche speed.

Exploring the significance of the fluidized flow regime for avalanche hazard mapping

Abstract Observational and experimental evidence suggests that it is important to explicitly account for the fluidized flow regime in avalanche hazard mapping due to its high mobility, intermediate density and high velocity. We explore the differences from conventional runout modelling by implementing an extension of the Norem–Irgens–Schieldrop (NIS) rheology in a simple mass-point model. When the dispersive stresses and the excess pore pressure equal the overburden pressure, the flow height increases and the density diminishes until a new equilibrium is reached, determined by the different density dependencies of the two parameters of the dispersive stresses. Fluidization requires sufficiently steep terrain; when it occurs it leads to substantially higher velocities than compared to the dense-flow regime. The model parameters are strongly constrained by their physical meaning and vary little between widely different avalanches. However, in all test cases we obtained better agreement between simulated and observed runout distances and pressure effects than with conventional models.

The influence of drifting snow on the location of glaciers on western Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Abstract On western Spitsbergen, Svalbard, the amount of winter precipitation is insufficient to maintain the present-day mass balance of the local glaciers. Additional snow mass must be added to the precipitation to reach the observed accumulation rates of the glaciers. It was assumed in previous work that this additional mass is transported onto the glaciers by drifting snow and snow avalanches. This study is a first attempt to quantify the amount of snow mass added to the glacier mass balance by wind-transported snow. The wind field over an area of 60 × 50 km2 on western Spitsbergen was simulated for 24 idealized weather types by a mesoscale meteorological model on a 750 m grid. The resulting wind velocities and directions were coupled to a two-level snowdrift model. The model output clearly shows erosion and accumulation areas in the terrain. Comparison with the present glacier locations suggests that the glacier accumulation areas coincide with low wind speeds. Moreover, exposed areas with high wind speeds are mostly glacier-free in reality. Thus, the wind field and corresponding snowdrift gives an indication of the location of the present glaciers on western Spitsbergen.