Avalanche predictive models
The emphasis of the project is on understanding and improving the physical mechanisms that determine the flow regime and the rates of snow entrainment and suspension. In this direction, full-scale experiments with novel sensors have been conducted at avalanche test sites and in laboratory chutes. This knowledge is used to validate mathematical models of avalanche flow through measurements at full-scale dams. In this environment, low-cost radar systems for monitoring and managing avalanche hazard in critical locations have been developed. High-performance radar has been used in the study, which is based on the principle of continuous-wave frequency modulation (FMCW). These types of pulse radar emit very strong pulses during short intervals allowing the observation of an object at both large and short distances. Furthermore FMCW radar enables the measurement of both the velocity and the distance of an object. The purpose of this device is to measure the flow depth, the erosion rate and cross-correlation of the signals from a pair of radars. Those radars, which are of rugged construction, are positioned in the flow direction, in a cavern inside a large avalanche track. The device may be very useful in inaccessible release zones of avalanches, when decisive information on the likelihood of an avalanche is required. Based on this information, decision-making concerning the safety or evacuation of areas becomes more certain and time accurate. Such radar systems may also be used for triggering a traffic light, closing an endangered segment of a traffic route in the event of an avalanche. In an effort to keep the cost low, a prototype of a more simplified version of the device will be constructed acting as a low-cost snow-cover monitoring sensor or avalanche hazard warning. The new FMCW radar systems can be used in a wide range of situation serving the needs of a small but expanding market.
