Snow avalanches kill, on average, 27 people in the United States each year and impact infrastructure and commerce in mountainous areas.
Snow and Avalanche Research Active
Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative research and emerging technologies that are readily applied to avalanche forecasting and risk management.
Avalanche Frequency and Magnitude Studies: Using historical observational datasets and analysis of tree-rings to develop avalanche chronologies, USGS scientists evaluate how avalanche frequency and character vary across space and time and investigate the primary drivers of this variability.
Wet Snow Avalanche Research: USGS avalanche scientists examine weather, climate, and snowpack variables to unravel the complex nature of factors that contribute to wet snow avalanches. Understanding the influence of specific climate and snowpack factors will translate into understanding avalanche cycles in a changing climate.
Remote Sensing Tools Advance Avalanche Research: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry are methods that show potential for quantifying snowpack variability at a scale useful for avalanche risk assessment. The exploration of these methods, and the use of historical satellite time series imagery, aims to advance understanding of avalanches as a landscape-level disturbance and enhance forecasting capabilities and public safety.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Avalanche Forecasting Program: In 2002, Glacier National Park instituted its first formal avalanche hazard forecasting program for snow removal operations. In addition to forecasting, the program also provides real-time snow safety and has increased avalanche awareness among equipment operators through regular avalanche safety training.
Related Links For More Information:
USGS Snow and Avalanche Project
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Science in Glacier National Park
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
2020 winter timeseries of UAS derived digital surface models (DSMs) from the Hourglass study site, Bridger Mountains, Montana, USA
Avalanche occurrence records along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana from 2003-2023 (ver. 3.0, July 2023)
Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Snow avalanches kill, on average, 27 people in the United States each year and impact infrastructure and commerce in mountainous areas.
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Below are publications associated with this project.
Assessing the seasonal evolution of snow depth spatial variability and scaling in complex mountain terrain
Climate drivers of large magnitude snow avalanche years in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains
A regional spatio-temporal analysis of large magnitude snow avalanches using tree rings
Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018)
Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry
Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains
On the exchange of sensible and latent heat between the atmosphere and melting snow
Case study: 2016 Natural glide and wet slab avalanche cycle, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Using structure from motion photogrammetry to examine glide snow avalanches
Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Timing of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative research and emerging technologies that are readily applied to avalanche forecasting and risk management.
Avalanche Frequency and Magnitude Studies: Using historical observational datasets and analysis of tree-rings to develop avalanche chronologies, USGS scientists evaluate how avalanche frequency and character vary across space and time and investigate the primary drivers of this variability.
Wet Snow Avalanche Research: USGS avalanche scientists examine weather, climate, and snowpack variables to unravel the complex nature of factors that contribute to wet snow avalanches. Understanding the influence of specific climate and snowpack factors will translate into understanding avalanche cycles in a changing climate.
Remote Sensing Tools Advance Avalanche Research: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry are methods that show potential for quantifying snowpack variability at a scale useful for avalanche risk assessment. The exploration of these methods, and the use of historical satellite time series imagery, aims to advance understanding of avalanches as a landscape-level disturbance and enhance forecasting capabilities and public safety.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Avalanche Forecasting Program: In 2002, Glacier National Park instituted its first formal avalanche hazard forecasting program for snow removal operations. In addition to forecasting, the program also provides real-time snow safety and has increased avalanche awareness among equipment operators through regular avalanche safety training.
Related Links For More Information:
USGS Snow and Avalanche Project
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Science in Glacier National Park
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
2020 winter timeseries of UAS derived digital surface models (DSMs) from the Hourglass study site, Bridger Mountains, Montana, USA
Avalanche occurrence records along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana from 2003-2023 (ver. 3.0, July 2023)
Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Snow avalanches kill, on average, 27 people in the United States each year and impact infrastructure and commerce in mountainous areas.
Snow avalanches kill, on average, 27 people in the United States each year and impact infrastructure and commerce in mountainous areas.
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
Below are publications associated with this project.
Assessing the seasonal evolution of snow depth spatial variability and scaling in complex mountain terrain
Climate drivers of large magnitude snow avalanche years in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains
A regional spatio-temporal analysis of large magnitude snow avalanches using tree rings
Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018)
Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry
Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains
On the exchange of sensible and latent heat between the atmosphere and melting snow
Case study: 2016 Natural glide and wet slab avalanche cycle, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Using structure from motion photogrammetry to examine glide snow avalanches
Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Timing of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Below are news stories associated with this project.