Numerical models are providing detailed insights into the formation and dynamics of avalanches, which could help to protect mountain communities from destruction.
Getting defensive An aerial view of the Gotthard Pass in southern Switzerland shows defence structures that protect the motorway overrun with snow.
Two years ago, Switzerland and Austria were struck by the worst avalanches in over 50 years. Some 30
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Perry Bartelt is head of the avalanche dynamics and numerical modelling group at the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Flüelastrasse 11, Davos Dorf, CH-7260 Switzerland, e-mail perry.bartelt@slf.ch. Othmar Buser is a retired snow physicist, Meierhof am See, Davos, Switzerland.