M. Barbolini et al., Application of statistical and hydraulic-continuum dense-snow avalanche models to five real European sites, COLD REG SC, 31(2), 2000, pp. 133-149
We test the behaviour of two statistical avalanche models and three hydraul
ic-continuum models of varying dimensionality against five reference events
. For the hydraulic models, reference friction coefficients are produced th
at replicate the runout distance of the historical event. The model sensiti
vity to friction coefficients, release depth, release area and runout dista
nce is also analysed.
The hydraulic-continuum models yield similar reference coefficients on the
simplest topography, but diverge for more complex paths, highlighting the i
mportance of boundary conditions on model performance. The Coulomb friction
(mu) shows a closer relation to runout distance than the turbulent frictio
n (xi). For models of this type, the debris deposition pattern is useful fo
r selecting model coefficients, rather than relying purely on runout distan
ces.
The results of the sensitivity analysis are site-specific, again highlighti
ng the importance of terrain as a model boundary condition. The release are
a seems ro have less of an influence on model results than the fracture hei
ght and xi. In general, the models are most sensitive to mu. At the end of
the paper, we propose a scheme for avalanche hazard zoning that integrates
the statistical and dynamic models, such that zoning can be undertaken with
some confidence in model output. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights
reserved.