North Dakota GIS Conference 2006: Presentations
The Development of a Geospatial Blowing Snow Susceptibility Index
Presented by: Scott Kroeber, Research Assistant, GIS Remote Sensing Specialist, University of North Dakota
» PowerPoint Presentation (11.6Mb ppt)
Winter travel in the Snow Belt areas of the United States can be hazardous during times of blizzards, winter storms, and blowing snow events. For surface transportation precipitation does not have to be falling in order for travel to become hazardous. Wind alone can transport snow, from previous snow events onto the roadway, which reduces visibility and can begin to accumulate. The areas of roadway accumulation depend on the orientation of the roadway with respect to the prevailing winds during the event, the amount of snow mass present and surface roughness factors along the roadway. Identifying the surface roughness or vertical extent of the vegetation is a geospatial problem that can be accomplished with ground-based observations.
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