A Review of Russian Snow Avalanche Models—From Analytical Solutions to Novel 3D Models

Abstract

The article is a review of mathematical models of snow avalanches that have been proposed since the middle of the 20th century and are still in use. The main attention is paid to the work of researchers from the Soviet Union and Russia, since many of their works were published only in Russian and are not widely available. Mathematical models of various levels of complexity for avalanches of various types—from dense to powder-snow avalanches—are discussed. Analytical solutions including formulas for the avalanche front speed are described. The results of simulations of the movement of avalanches are given that were used to create avalanche hazard maps. The last part of the article is devoted to constructing models of a new type, in which avalanches are considered as laminar or turbulent flows of non-Newtonian fluids, using the full (not depth-averaged) equations of continuum mechanics. The results of a numerical study of the effect of non-Newtonian rheology and mass entrainment on the avalanche dynamics are presented.