Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation
The failure of a weak snow layer buried below cohesive slab layers is a necessary, but insufficient, condition for the release of a dry-snow slab avalanche. The size of the crack in the weak layer must also exceed a critical length to propagate across a slope. In contrast to pioneering shear-based a...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00010490 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00010447/tc-11-217-2017.pdf https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/11/217/2017/tc-11-217-2017.pdf |
id |
ftnonlinearchiv:oai:noa.gwlb.de:cop_mods_00010490 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftnonlinearchiv:oai:noa.gwlb.de:cop_mods_00010490 2023-05-15T18:32:32+02:00 Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Chambon, Guillaume Wever, Nander Schweizer, Jürg 2017-01 electronic https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00010490 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00010447/tc-11-217-2017.pdf https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/11/217/2017/tc-11-217-2017.pdf eng eng Copernicus Publications The Cryosphere -- ˜Theœ Cryosphere -- http://www.bibliothek.uni-regensburg.de/ezeit/?2393169 -- http://www.the-cryosphere.net/ -- 1994-0424 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00010490 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00010447/tc-11-217-2017.pdf https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/11/217/2017/tc-11-217-2017.pdf uneingeschränkt info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article Verlagsveröffentlichung article Text doc-type:article 2017 ftnonlinearchiv https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 2022-02-08T22:57:00Z The failure of a weak snow layer buried below cohesive slab layers is a necessary, but insufficient, condition for the release of a dry-snow slab avalanche. The size of the crack in the weak layer must also exceed a critical length to propagate across a slope. In contrast to pioneering shear-based approaches, recent developments account for weak layer collapse and allow for better explaining typical observations of remote triggering from low-angle terrain. However, these new models predict a critical length for crack propagation that is almost independent of slope angle, a rather surprising and counterintuitive result. Based on discrete element simulations we propose a new analytical expression for the critical crack length. This new model reconciles past approaches by considering for the first time the complex interplay between slab elasticity and the mechanical behavior of the weak layer including its structural collapse. The crack begins to propagate when the stress induced by slab loading and deformation at the crack tip exceeds the limit given by the failure envelope of the weak layer. The model can reproduce crack propagation on low-angle terrain and the decrease in critical length with increasing slope angle as modeled in numerical experiments. The good agreement of our new model with extensive field data and the ease of implementation in the snow cover model SNOWPACK opens a promising prospect for improving avalanche forecasting. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Niedersächsisches Online-Archiv NOA The Cryosphere 11 1 217 228 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Niedersächsisches Online-Archiv NOA |
op_collection_id |
ftnonlinearchiv |
language |
English |
topic |
article Verlagsveröffentlichung |
spellingShingle |
article Verlagsveröffentlichung Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Chambon, Guillaume Wever, Nander Schweizer, Jürg Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
topic_facet |
article Verlagsveröffentlichung |
description |
The failure of a weak snow layer buried below cohesive slab layers is a necessary, but insufficient, condition for the release of a dry-snow slab avalanche. The size of the crack in the weak layer must also exceed a critical length to propagate across a slope. In contrast to pioneering shear-based approaches, recent developments account for weak layer collapse and allow for better explaining typical observations of remote triggering from low-angle terrain. However, these new models predict a critical length for crack propagation that is almost independent of slope angle, a rather surprising and counterintuitive result. Based on discrete element simulations we propose a new analytical expression for the critical crack length. This new model reconciles past approaches by considering for the first time the complex interplay between slab elasticity and the mechanical behavior of the weak layer including its structural collapse. The crack begins to propagate when the stress induced by slab loading and deformation at the crack tip exceeds the limit given by the failure envelope of the weak layer. The model can reproduce crack propagation on low-angle terrain and the decrease in critical length with increasing slope angle as modeled in numerical experiments. The good agreement of our new model with extensive field data and the ease of implementation in the snow cover model SNOWPACK opens a promising prospect for improving avalanche forecasting. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Chambon, Guillaume Wever, Nander Schweizer, Jürg |
author_facet |
Gaume, Johan van Herwijnen, Alec Chambon, Guillaume Wever, Nander Schweizer, Jürg |
author_sort |
Gaume, Johan |
title |
Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
title_short |
Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
title_full |
Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
title_fullStr |
Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
title_sort |
snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00010490 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00010447/tc-11-217-2017.pdf https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/11/217/2017/tc-11-217-2017.pdf |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_relation |
The Cryosphere -- ˜Theœ Cryosphere -- http://www.bibliothek.uni-regensburg.de/ezeit/?2393169 -- http://www.the-cryosphere.net/ -- 1994-0424 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00010490 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00010447/tc-11-217-2017.pdf https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/11/217/2017/tc-11-217-2017.pdf |
op_rights |
uneingeschränkt info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
217 |
op_container_end_page |
228 |
_version_ |
1766216649626615808 |