Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds
Dry-snow slab avalanches release due to crack propagation in a weak snow layer under a cohesive snow slab. Crack propagation speeds can provide insights into the potential size of avalanches and inform fracture and avalanche release models. Despite their importance, slope-scale crack speed measureme...
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/618531 2023-12-24T10:08:24+01:00 Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds Simenhois, Ron Birkeland, Karl W. Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Bergfeld, Bastian Trottet, Bertil Greene, Ethan 2023 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/618531 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000618531 en eng Cambridge University Press info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/aog.2023.36 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001005965600001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/618531 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000618531 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Annals of Glaciology Avalanches Snow info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2023 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/61853110.3929/ethz-b-00061853110.1017/aog.2023.36 2023-11-27T00:51:10Z Dry-snow slab avalanches release due to crack propagation in a weak snow layer under a cohesive snow slab. Crack propagation speeds can provide insights into the potential size of avalanches and inform fracture and avalanche release models. Despite their importance, slope-scale crack speed measurements from real avalanches are limited. Further, most existing slope-scale measurements utilize the appearance of slab fractures on the snow surface. However, we have no evidence that the appearance of surface cracking is a good indicator of the weak layer crack propagation tip. Here we present a novel method to estimate crack propagation speed from snow surface movements in avalanche videos. Our technique uses changes in frame pixel intensity, allowing us to detect the location of weak layer cracks well before slab fractures appear on the snow surface. We use field experiments and numerical simulations to validate our method before applying it to five avalanches. Our estimates show that cracks propagate faster up and down the slope than in the cross-slope direction; this suggests that different propagation regimes likely govern crack propagation up/down the slope, cross-slope and in flat terrain. ISSN:0260-3055 ISSN:1727-5644 Article in Journal/Newspaper Annals of Glaciology ETH Zürich Research Collection |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
topic |
Avalanches Snow |
spellingShingle |
Avalanches Snow Simenhois, Ron Birkeland, Karl W. Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Bergfeld, Bastian Trottet, Bertil Greene, Ethan Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
topic_facet |
Avalanches Snow |
description |
Dry-snow slab avalanches release due to crack propagation in a weak snow layer under a cohesive snow slab. Crack propagation speeds can provide insights into the potential size of avalanches and inform fracture and avalanche release models. Despite their importance, slope-scale crack speed measurements from real avalanches are limited. Further, most existing slope-scale measurements utilize the appearance of slab fractures on the snow surface. However, we have no evidence that the appearance of surface cracking is a good indicator of the weak layer crack propagation tip. Here we present a novel method to estimate crack propagation speed from snow surface movements in avalanche videos. Our technique uses changes in frame pixel intensity, allowing us to detect the location of weak layer cracks well before slab fractures appear on the snow surface. We use field experiments and numerical simulations to validate our method before applying it to five avalanches. Our estimates show that cracks propagate faster up and down the slope than in the cross-slope direction; this suggests that different propagation regimes likely govern crack propagation up/down the slope, cross-slope and in flat terrain. ISSN:0260-3055 ISSN:1727-5644 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Simenhois, Ron Birkeland, Karl W. Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Bergfeld, Bastian Trottet, Bertil Greene, Ethan |
author_facet |
Simenhois, Ron Birkeland, Karl W. Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Bergfeld, Bastian Trottet, Bertil Greene, Ethan |
author_sort |
Simenhois, Ron |
title |
Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
title_short |
Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
title_full |
Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
title_fullStr |
Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
title_sort |
using video detection of snow surface movements to estimate weak layer crack propagation speeds |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/618531 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000618531 |
genre |
Annals of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Annals of Glaciology |
op_source |
Annals of Glaciology |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/aog.2023.36 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001005965600001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/618531 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000618531 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/61853110.3929/ethz-b-00061853110.1017/aog.2023.36 |
_version_ |
1786198638902378496 |