Reports from 65 years of snow and avalanche research
Lib4RI, the library of the four research institutions of the ETH Domain, has digitized and published over 700 SLF reports.
Drawing of a snow profile from the first internal report, 'Gutachten über einen Schneebeobachtungsdienst und die Möglichkeit der künstlichen Lawinenauslösung an der Süd-Ost-Flanke des Piz Muntatsch', 1938.
Lib4RI has completed the digitization of more than 700 historical snow and avalanche reports from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. These reports, published between 1938 and 2005, document decades of avalanche observations and snow research by researchers from Switzerland and around the world. These reports are now accessible to all in the institutional repository DORA.
The collection ranges from early measurements of the snowpack to detailed reports on major avalanche events and offers an insight into both the history of snow science and the development of safety measures in alpine regions.
Some scientific highlights from the reports:
- As early as the 1940s, researchers intensively studied the crystal plasticity of snow and developed new experimental approaches to better understand the complex deformation behavior of snow (Internal Report No. 24 "Kristallplastische Vorgänge im Schneeaggregat II").
- Historical avalanche events, such as the devastating avalanche of 1958/59 in Iran, led to increased international cooperation and improved protection measures (Internal Report No. 332 "Protection of Highways against snow hazards in Iran. 1st of February to 30th of April 1960").
- Experiments with avalanche barriers and reforestation in alpine regions in the 1960s provided important insights into the protection of mountain forest areas and their contribution to avalanche prevention (Internal Report No. 445 "Programmvorschläge zum Forschungsprojekt "Aufforstung im Lawinengebiet". (Versuchsgebiet Stillberg, Dischmatal-Davos)" and internal report no. 484 "Allgemeines Programm zum Forschungsprojekt "Stillberg" über den Lawinenschutz in Aufforstungen").
- At the end of the 1980s, the introduction of Denoth devices made it possible to measure snow moisture much more accurately than manual tests (Internal Report No. 667 "Schneefeuchtigkeit mit dem Denoth-Gerät im Vergleich mit dem Handtest, Messungen 1989, 1990").
- Research into improving safety during avalanche rescues in the 1990s led to the development and testing of the ABS avalanche airbag, which demonstrably reduces the risk of burial (Internal Report No. 686 "Untersuchungen über die Wirkung des Lawinenballons. Bericht Versuche Winter 1994/1995").
The digitization and publication of these historical research results on DORA preserves valuable scientific heritage and promotes future progress in avalanche research and safety in the Alps.