TYPICATION OF WINTER IN ILE ALATAU BY SNOW CONDITION AND AVALANCHE ACTIVITY

Abstract

Snow avalanches affect human economic and recreational activities in the mountains. In some avalanche-active winters, they cause significant damage and loss of life. As a result of many years of research, it was found that avalanches strongly depend on the meteorological and synoptic conditions of each individual winter. The main indicator of the danger of the current season is the total and maximum volumes of avalanches in a particular river basin. It strongly depends on the height and water content of the snow cover and the amount of precipitation. The correlation coefficients are 0.36...0.66. In some avalanche-prone winters (1965...66, 1986...87, 2016...17) in the river basin. In Kishi Almaty, the total volume of avalanches reaches 300...500 thousand m3, and in non-avalanche-hazardous winters it does not exceed 20...30 thousand m3. During the years of minimal solar and cyclonic activity in the studied avalanche basin, the highest snow cover heights and avalanche activity are observed. This is probably due to the fact that winter cyclones produce precipitation in the foothill areas in cold years. And the increase in snowfall and avalanche activity is more associated with spring warming and the beginning of snow melting. Studying the meteorological conditions of avalanche formation helps assess the potential danger of the current season. This is of practical importance for planning the work of tourist sites and operational rescue services in the mountains.