Browsing by Author "Trautman, Simon August"

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Wet loose snow avalanching in southwestern Montana
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2007) Trautman, Simon August; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Stephen Custer
Wet loose snow avalanches are a significant hazard within many ski areas. Wet snow stability changes dramatically over short time periods which typically coincide with operating hours, and few quantitative tools exist for avalanche workers attempting to predict the onset of wet snow avalanching. Field work was conducted at two study sites in southwestern Montana during the springs of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. The study is composed of three separate experiments. The first documents stratigraphic boundary conditions present during periods of wet loose instability. Results show that melt-water accumulation within the upper 15cm of the snowpack increases the likelihood of wet loose avalanche occurrence. The second focuses on the mean daily and minimum daily air temperatures, and how well each variable indicates wet loose avalanche activity.