Suchergebnisse

Abstract. Snow gliding is a key factor for snow-glide avalanche
formation and soil erosion. This study considers atmospheric and snow
variables, vegetation characteristics, and soil properties and determines
their relevance for snow gliding at a test site (Wildkogel, Upper Pinzgau,
Austria) during winter 2014/2015. The time-dependent data were collected at a
high temporal resolution. In addition to conventional sensors, a "snow melt
analyzer" was used. The analysis shows that the soil temperature 10 cm below the surface, the
phytomass of mosses, the liquid water content in the snowpack, and the
static friction coefficient of the glide shoes had significant influence on
snow gliding during the whole winter. In the first period (October to
January) the soil moisture at the surface and 1.5 cm below the surface and
the length of the slope uphill of the glide shoes affected the snow gliding,
too. In the second period (February to May) the soil temperature at the
surface, the soil moisture 10 cm below the surface, and the slope angle had
additional influence on snow gliding. The role of the vegetation in the snow-glide process is determined by the
influence on the static friction coefficient caused by its composition and
characteristics and by moss-rich and short-stemmed canopies being seemingly
more interconnected with the snowpack. In addition to the soil and snow properties, the topography and the
vegetation characteristics, further investigations may be focused on the
freezing and melting processes in the uppermost soil layers and at the soil surface.