Dendrogeomorphology and Snow Avalanche Research

Abstract

Snow avalanches are rapid downslope transfers of snow, often with great destructive power, which are significant natural hazards in areas of steep terrain. Although normally observed in mountain areas, they may occur in lowland environments where local topographic conditions are suitable (e.g. Liverman et al. 2001). Although avalanches are rarely, if ever, initiated in forested terrain, snow avalanche tracks are often a common feature of sub-alpine forests. The calendar dated tree-ring record of damage in these tracks provides a powerful archive from which to examine the nature, magnitude and frequency of past avalanche activity and has been exploited for over 40 years. It was one of the first applications of dendrogeomorphology (Potter 1969; Shroder 1980) and there are over 50 references to snow avalanches in the tree-ring literature (Grissino-Mayer 2009). In this introduction I will briefly review some of that work and comment on some of the successes and problems associated with this research field.