Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions
<p>Snow avalanches are recurring natural hazards that affect the population and infrastructure in mountainous regions, such as in the recent avalanche winters of 2018 and 2019, when considerable damage was caused by avalanches throughout the Alps. Hazard decision makers need detailed informati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/2089/2023/nhess-23-2089-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797805358324908032 |
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| author | G. Ortner G. Ortner G. Ortner M. Bründl M. Bründl C. M. Kropf C. M. Kropf T. Röösli T. Röösli Y. Bühler Y. Bühler D. N. Bresch D. N. Bresch |
| author_facet | G. Ortner G. Ortner G. Ortner M. Bründl M. Bründl C. M. Kropf C. M. Kropf T. Röösli T. Röösli Y. Bühler Y. Bühler D. N. Bresch D. N. Bresch |
| author_sort | G. Ortner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Snow avalanches are recurring natural hazards that affect the population and infrastructure in mountainous regions, such as in the recent avalanche winters of 2018 and 2019, when considerable damage was caused by avalanches throughout the Alps. Hazard decision makers need detailed information on the spatial distribution of avalanche hazards and risks to prioritize and apply appropriate adaptation strategies and mitigation measures and thus minimize impacts. Here, we present a novel risk assessment approach for assessing the spatial distribution of avalanche risk by combining large-scale hazard mapping with a state-of-the-art risk assessment tool, where risk is understood as the product of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Hazard disposition is modeled using the large-scale hazard indication mapping method RAMMS::LSHIM (Rapid Mass Movement Simulation::Large-Scale Hazard Indication Mapping), and risks are assessed using the probabilistic Python-based risk assessment platform CLIMADA, developed at ETH Zürich. Avalanche hazard mapping for scenarios with a 30-, 100- and 300-year return period is based on a high-resolution terrain model, 3 d snow depth increase, automatically determined potential release areas and protection forest data. Avalanche hazard for 40 000 individual snow avalanches is expressed as avalanche intensity, measured as pressure. Exposure is represented by a detailed building layer indicating the spatial distribution of monetary assets. The vulnerability of buildings is defined by damage functions based on the software EconoMe, which is in operational use in Switzerland. The outputs of the hazard, exposure and vulnerability analyses are combined to quantify the risk in spatially explicit risk maps. The risk considers the probability and intensity of snow avalanche occurrence, as well as the concentration of vulnerable, exposed buildings. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were performed to capture inherent variability in the input parameters. This new risk assessment approach allows us to quantify avalanche risk over large areas and results in maps displaying the spatial distribution of risk at specific locations. Large-scale risk maps can assist decision makers in identifying areas where avalanche hazard mitigation and/or adaption is needed.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:50:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-65204d47223d4f74ac6d727127336b9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:50:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-65204d47223d4f74ac6d727127336b9c2023-06-13T13:46:17ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812023-06-01232089211010.5194/nhess-23-2089-2023Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regionsG. Ortner0G. Ortner1G. Ortner2M. Bründl3M. Bründl4C. M. Kropf5C. M. Kropf6T. Röösli7T. Röösli8Y. Bühler9Y. Bühler10D. N. Bresch11D. N. Bresch12WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandClimate Change, Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandInstitute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandClimate Change, Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandInstitute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandFederal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Operation Center 1, 8058 Zurich Airport, SwitzerlandInstitute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandFederal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Operation Center 1, 8058 Zurich Airport, SwitzerlandWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandClimate Change, Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC, 7260 Davos Dorf, SwitzerlandInstitute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandFederal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, Operation Center 1, 8058 Zurich Airport, Switzerland<p>Snow avalanches are recurring natural hazards that affect the population and infrastructure in mountainous regions, such as in the recent avalanche winters of 2018 and 2019, when considerable damage was caused by avalanches throughout the Alps. Hazard decision makers need detailed information on the spatial distribution of avalanche hazards and risks to prioritize and apply appropriate adaptation strategies and mitigation measures and thus minimize impacts. Here, we present a novel risk assessment approach for assessing the spatial distribution of avalanche risk by combining large-scale hazard mapping with a state-of-the-art risk assessment tool, where risk is understood as the product of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Hazard disposition is modeled using the large-scale hazard indication mapping method RAMMS::LSHIM (Rapid Mass Movement Simulation::Large-Scale Hazard Indication Mapping), and risks are assessed using the probabilistic Python-based risk assessment platform CLIMADA, developed at ETH Zürich. Avalanche hazard mapping for scenarios with a 30-, 100- and 300-year return period is based on a high-resolution terrain model, 3 d snow depth increase, automatically determined potential release areas and protection forest data. Avalanche hazard for 40 000 individual snow avalanches is expressed as avalanche intensity, measured as pressure. Exposure is represented by a detailed building layer indicating the spatial distribution of monetary assets. The vulnerability of buildings is defined by damage functions based on the software EconoMe, which is in operational use in Switzerland. The outputs of the hazard, exposure and vulnerability analyses are combined to quantify the risk in spatially explicit risk maps. The risk considers the probability and intensity of snow avalanche occurrence, as well as the concentration of vulnerable, exposed buildings. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were performed to capture inherent variability in the input parameters. This new risk assessment approach allows us to quantify avalanche risk over large areas and results in maps displaying the spatial distribution of risk at specific locations. Large-scale risk maps can assist decision makers in identifying areas where avalanche hazard mitigation and/or adaption is needed.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/2089/2023/nhess-23-2089-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | G. Ortner G. Ortner G. Ortner M. Bründl M. Bründl C. M. Kropf C. M. Kropf T. Röösli T. Röösli Y. Bühler Y. Bühler D. N. Bresch D. N. Bresch Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| title_full | Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| title_fullStr | Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| title_short | Large-scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| title_sort | large scale risk assessment on snow avalanche hazard in alpine regions |
| url | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/2089/2023/nhess-23-2089-2023.pdf |
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