Study on advanced snow information and its application to disaster mitigation: An overview

Abstract

An overview of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) project “Study on Advanced Snow Information and its Application to Disaster Mitigation (ASDIM)” is described here. The Concentrated Snowfall Monitoring System (CSMS) was constructed, and observations of falling snow particles at remote sites of the CSMS were started within the observation range of an X-band multi-parameter radar at the Snow and Ice Research Center (SIRC) in Nagaoka. A parameter for the quantitative description of falling snow particles was derived. Preferential flow within the snowpack was reproduced numerically. State-of-the-art microphysical technologies, such as nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray computerized tomography, were employed. Advanced snow information, such as center of mass flux distribution, liquid water fraction, specific surface area, and microstructure of the snowpack, were collected for falling and ground snow analyses. A regularly updated Real-time Hazard Map (RHM) displaying the areas affected by various snow and ice-related hazards was developed. The RHM serves as a platform for application of the Snow Disaster Forecasting System to hazards such as avalanches, snow accretion, and blowing snow. The utility of the RHMs was examined through experiments conducted in association with local governments and transport administrators.