Study on the Snowfall Amount Triggering Regional Avalanches in Southeastern Tibet

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 17; no. 11; p. 1631
• Main Authors: Wei, Haozhuo, Wang, Yan, Wang, Shaoliang, Hao, Jiansheng, Chen, Guoqing, Fu, Xiaoqian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2025
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Avalanches; Causes of; China; Climate change; Disasters; Distribution; Environmental aspects; Forecasts and trends; Measurement; Mountains; Precipitation; Regions; Rivers; Snow; Topography; Trends; Wind; Zoning; China; Indian Ocean; Tibetan Plateau; Tsangpo River
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w17111631

Global climate warming has exacerbated extreme snowfall events. The Southeastern Tibet (ST) region has become a high-incidence area for avalanches due to its unique topographical and climatic conditions. However, current research has paid insufficient attention to the thresholds for avalanches triggered by extreme snowfall. Therefore, the aim of this study is to construct the I-D (intensity-duration) thresholds for avalanche events triggered by extreme snowfall in southeastern Tibet, providing a scientific basis for disaster prevention and mitigation work in this region. Based on the snowfall data from 1951 to 2020, this study calculated four extreme snowfall indices, namely SF1d, SF90p, SF95p, and SF99p, to determine extreme snowfall events. And 33 avalanche events during this period were verified through the confusion matrix. This study found that the intensity of extreme snowfall events in southeastern Tibet has increased while the frequency has decreased. The I-D threshold parameters α (from 5.79 to 14.88) and β (from −2.81 to −0.66) within the study area were determined, and the overall threshold is I = 9.29 × D−2.27 (D represents the duration of snowfall, with the unit being days.). It was also found that extreme snowfall in the study area has a significant positive correlation in with the ST. The terrain has a greater impact on the snowfall intensity, but its regulation on the duration of events is limited. Overall, in southeastern Tibet, if the single-day snowfall exceeds 12.38 mm (the regional average value of the SF1d index) or the cumulative snowfall within the previous 30 days exceeds 64.85 mm (the regional average value of the three indices of SF90p, SF95p, and SF99p), it can be considered that an extreme snowfall event has occurred. At the same time, the threshold of I = 9.29 × D−2.27 can be used to forecast avalanches triggered by extreme snowfall events in the entire region.