Avalanche Control with Mitigation Measures: A Case study from Karaçam-Trabzon (Turkey)

Year 2015, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 61 - 68, 31.12.2015

Gerhard Volk Abdurrahim Aydın , Remzi Eker

Abstract

Karaçam Village
(Trabzon), located in the eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey, suffers from
critical problems as a result of snow avalanches. Interviews with local
villagers described three important snow avalanche events which occurred in the
region. Despite the incidence of dangerous snow avalanches in the Karaçam
region, to date, no avalanche defense measures have been planned. In this
study, three different snow avalanche scenario simulations (coded as 1, 2 and
3) corresponding to recurrent periods of 30, 100, and 300 years were developed,
and Coulomb friction values were designated in order to provide reliable
results. For all scenarios, the Coulomb friction values were selected as 0.26
in the release zone, 0.165 in the track and 0.33 in the run-out zone. Scenario
2, a snow avalanche event in the region with the recurrent period of 100 years,
was found capable of causing damage to buildings located on the left side of
the track as well as on the opposite slope. Hence, taking into account field
surveys and observations, feasible counter-measures were planned according to
Scenario 2. Construction of structures for supporting the snowpack in the
starting zone, reforestation with supporting snow glide tripods, and
installation of wind fences were recommended. In total, 508 m of steel snow
bridges, 758 m of wooden snow bridges, reforestation with tripod supports over
an area of 7 ha, and 1150 m of wind fences were included in the plan.

Keywords

Simulation, Snow avalanche, Supporting structure, Turkey

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