Avalanche and landslide hazard and risk

Mass movement of snow, rock or soil on sloping terrain causes major hazards in mountainous areas worldwide. Snow avalanches constitute the deadliest geohazard events in Norway. They are affected by a complex interaction of terrain characteristics, snow properties and meteorological variables that makes them especially sensitive to climatic variations, but also challenging to forecast. Landslides, such as rockslides, rockfall, mud/debris flows and quick clays, are major threats to infrastructure and population if they occur in populated areas or in valleys/fjords where dam-burst flooding and tsunami can be generated. Ground temperature and precipitation regimes influence the dynamics of landslides. Changing climate has therefore an impact on landslide stability, but this relation is still poorly understood.

NORCE has extensive interdisciplinary expertise in most areas related to various types of avalanches and geological landslides. We can contribute to:

• Develop advanced ground-based, air- and satellite borne systems for monitoring avalanches and landslides, and integrate observations in visualisation, analysis and AI-based prediction systems (Technology).

• Understand the environmental controls and impact of climate change on the distribution, occurrence and dynamics of such processes (Climate & Environment).
• Evaluate the risks for population and infrastructure, design mitigation solutions and adaptation strategies together with local communities and public stakeholders (Health & Social Sciences).

Our ambition is for NORCE to contribute with important components for future avalanche and landslide warning systems so that society can be resilient to the effects of future climate change.