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March Wet Avalanche Prediction at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Montana: Author: Romig, Jeannette M.; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Wet avalanches are a safety concern for all ski areas because they are difficult to control artificially and the shift from safe to dangerous wet snow conditions can happen very quickly. Forecasting for wet avalanche conditions in intermountain ski areas, such as Bridger Bowl, Montana, can be especially difficult because intermountain snow climates can exhibit wet avalanche characteristics of either maritime or continental snow climates. Various statistical models have been developed for avalanche prediction; however, most are tailored specifically for dry avalanche forecastinG. Archived meteo...; Download File | View full details

Wet Loose Snow Avalanching in Southwestern Montana: Author: Trautman, Simon August; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Wet loose snow avalanches are a significant hazard within many ski areas. Wet snow stability changes dramatically over short time periods which typically coincide with operating hours, and few quantitative tools exist for avalanche workers attempting to predict the onset of wet snow avalanchinG. Field work was conducted at two study sites in southwestern Montana during the springs of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. The study is composed of three separate experiments. The first documents stratigraphic boundary conditions present during periods of wet loose instability. Results show that melt-water ...; Download File | View full details

Map-based Tests on Controls of Anabranch River Character on the Lower Yellowstone River: Author: Jenkins, Patricia Ann; Date: 2007-12-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Processes responsible for the formation of anabranched river systems are poorly understood. The Yellowstone River, Montana, is a major unimpounded river with over 800 km of anabranched channel. There are from one to seven channels per reach. Current literature identifies at least seven variables that may influence anabranch river character: tributary junctions, bedrock lithology, vegetation, sediment pulses, debris/ice jams, water loss from stream (to groundwater or irrigation withdrawal) and tectonism. Two variables, tributary junctions, bedrock lithology (measured by relative bedrock hardnes...; Download File | View full details