Abstract
It is said that a disaster changes itself as a change in the condition of public life. In Japan, recently with rapid progress of motorization, the traffic accident owing to blowing snow steppes into the spotlight. For example, a multiple pile-up accident on the Expressway appears as a new disaster. As several research studies for blowing snow are carrying out, the disaster due to blowing snow is thought to be reduced in the near future.
In this paper, first of all, the outline of the generation of blowing snow and its activity are given in the chapter 1, the relation between snow and wind. Next, the history of prevention of snow disaster on railway and snow problems on road in recent years, are mentioned.
In the chapter 3, the investigated results of phenomena generated by snow and wind are introduced. After strong blowing snow, the direction of prevailing wind and the condition of snow cover are estimated with the direction of the wind pattern on snow cover in the area.
In the chapter 4, countermeasures against blowing snow and utilization of blowing snow, described are the shape around snow fence, the reconsideration of snowbreak forest and utilization of blowing snow as water resources.
In the last chapter, the trends of research studies of blowing snow are introduced, which are being carried forward by the National Research Center for Disaster Prevention and the Civil Engineering Research Institute of Hokkaido Development Bureau.
