Climate change and human activities have increased avalanche risks in alpine mountains.Therefore,strengthening the research on mitigating and controlling avalanche disasters is indispensable for sustainable socio-econ...Climate change and human activities have increased avalanche risks in alpine mountains.Therefore,strengthening the research on mitigating and controlling avalanche disasters is indispensable for sustainable socio-economic development in mountainous areas.Early avalanche warning is an essential means of avalanche disaster prevention.However,the theoretical development and application of avalanche warning strategies remain limited due to the lack of systematic understanding of the triggering mechanisms of avalanches.Based on observational data(2015–2019)of avalanches,snowpack,meteorological parameters,surface soil temperature and moisture,and topography in avalanche-prone areas in the central Tianshan Mountains,we analyzed the characteristics of different types of avalanches under a continental snow climate and the environmental factors(such as meteorological conditions and snowpack)that trigger avalanches,as well as the triggering mechanisms for different types of avalanches under the continental snow climate in terms of snow-layer shear fracture modes.We found that the snowpack parameters,weather conditions,and soil temperature and moisture varied significantly among the stages of snow accumulation,stabilization,and melting,resulting in different avalanches prevailing in different stages of snowpack evolution.Moreover,the snow-layer fractures were driven by single external factors or the combined multiple factors under the continental snow climate.Fifty-four percent of the avalanche events in the study area occurred during or after a snowfall,with 36%related to sudden increases in temperature.Then considering different triggering scenarios,snowpack evolution stages,and the coupling of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of triggering snow-layer shear failure,we constructed five snow-layer shear fracture modes and twelve avalanche-triggering modes on mountain slopes under a continental snow climate.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA23090302)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(Grant No.2019QZKK0906)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42101080).
文摘Climate change and human activities have increased avalanche risks in alpine mountains.Therefore,strengthening the research on mitigating and controlling avalanche disasters is indispensable for sustainable socio-economic development in mountainous areas.Early avalanche warning is an essential means of avalanche disaster prevention.However,the theoretical development and application of avalanche warning strategies remain limited due to the lack of systematic understanding of the triggering mechanisms of avalanches.Based on observational data(2015–2019)of avalanches,snowpack,meteorological parameters,surface soil temperature and moisture,and topography in avalanche-prone areas in the central Tianshan Mountains,we analyzed the characteristics of different types of avalanches under a continental snow climate and the environmental factors(such as meteorological conditions and snowpack)that trigger avalanches,as well as the triggering mechanisms for different types of avalanches under the continental snow climate in terms of snow-layer shear fracture modes.We found that the snowpack parameters,weather conditions,and soil temperature and moisture varied significantly among the stages of snow accumulation,stabilization,and melting,resulting in different avalanches prevailing in different stages of snowpack evolution.Moreover,the snow-layer fractures were driven by single external factors or the combined multiple factors under the continental snow climate.Fifty-four percent of the avalanche events in the study area occurred during or after a snowfall,with 36%related to sudden increases in temperature.Then considering different triggering scenarios,snowpack evolution stages,and the coupling of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of triggering snow-layer shear failure,we constructed five snow-layer shear fracture modes and twelve avalanche-triggering modes on mountain slopes under a continental snow climate.
