Meteorological Warning System - Avalanche
Project: Meteorological Warning System - Avalanche
Location: Markklamm - Mittenwald, Bavaria, Germany
Conceptual formulation
The risk potential is high at the Markklamm, a well known avalanche point in the Mittenwald region. The immediate danger is for the traffic routes that lie below, such as the main road and the Innsbruck-Garmisch railway line. As it has not yet been possible to implement plans to set extensive supports, an alternative way of dealing with the situation was needed.
- View of the Markklamm with aerial photograph
- View from avalanche starting zone to Mittenwald
Solution
To make the work of the local avalanche commission easier and to provide a better assessment of the on-site situation, a weather station was set up below the starting zone. The station was equipped to meet the requirements of the Bavarian Avalanche Warning Service. In addition to this, geophones were installed along the avalanche course to allow efficient monitoring of self-triggered avalanches.
- Measuring station below starting zone
- Camera image of avalanche runout zone
Implementation
As well as continuously recording the weather and snow parameters, the station permanently monitors shocks caused from avalanches and automatically alerts the Avalanche Warning Service if there are acute movements in the avalanche course. This warning and information system is based on the Embedded Web Module. The institutions involved can view data from the measuring stations on the Internet at any time, independently of any platform, and can check up-to-date images of the runout zone of the avalanche with the integral surveillance camera. The warning system has been designed to automatically close the barriers when there is danger, thus blocking off the transport routes under threat.
Request
