Avalanches in Iceland
Snow avalanches and landslides have caused both death and injury and done great damage to infrastructure and property in Iceland. In the twentieth century, 193 persons died, thereof 69 persons after 1974. Financial cost between 1974 and 2000 amounts to 3.3 billion IKR.
Catastrophic avalanches in the villages Súðavík and Flateyri in 1995, which killed 34 people and caused extensive economic damage, totally changed the view regarding avalanche safety in Iceland. These avalanches made it clear that a substantial number of people in several Icelandic towns and villages live in areas where avalanche risk is unacceptable. Although extensive evacuations may be used to reduce the risk to some extent, this can only be viewed as a temporary measure. Avalanche protective measures or land use changes are necessary for a permanent solution to this problem.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office is responsible for avalanche warnings and hazard zoning and advices the government on avalanche protective measures. The office employs snow observers in the the most important villages in avalanche-prone areas and maintains a database for avalanches.
Our responsibility is various:
Hazard zoning has been carried out for most or all towns and villages in relevant areas in the north, west and east (see map below), as well as local hazard zoning for some individual farms or recreation areas.
Evacuation maps for those towns, as well as evacuation plans in collaboration with the Civil Protection Department of the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police and the local Civil Protection Committees.
An advisory role regarding avalanche protective measures. IMO also carries out research and field experiments with various types of such measures. A report has been written about the need for avalanche protection in Iceland and several resports have been written about avalanche protective measures for Icelandic conditions.
Daily surveys of the snow pack in the vicinity of densely populated areas where avalanche risks are imminent.
Warnings are issued of avalanche hazards and decisions are made about evacuating houses in cooperation with the locals.
Chronicles of snow avalanches have been written for each of the monitored towns and a few rural areas.
Landslides are being registrated and researched in co-operation with the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
Law and regulations on avalanches in Iceland:
- Act on Protective Measures Against Avalanches and Landslides (49/1997)
- Regulation on hazard zoning due to snow- and landslides, classification and utilisation of hazard zones, and preparation of provisional hazard zoning (505/2000)
Reports and papers on hazard zoning:
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Estimation of avalanche risk (IMO Rep. VÍ-R99001-ÚR01, authors K. Jónasson
S. Þ. Sigurðsson and Th. Arnalds) (pdf 0.5 Mb)
- Avalanche hazard zoning in Iceland based on individual risk (Annals of Glaciology, 38, 285−290, 2004, authors Th. Arnalds, K. Jónasson and S. Þ. Sigurðsson) (pdf 0.4 Mb)
Reports and papers on protective measures:
- An overview of the need for avalanche protection measures in Iceland (IMO Rep. 96004, 1996, authors T. Jóhannesson, K. Lied, S. Margreth and F. Sandersen) [summary of IMO publication 96003/96004] (html)
- Adaptation of the Swiss Guidelines for supporting structures for Icelandic conditions (IMO Int. Rep. 99013, 1999, authors T. Jóhannesson and S. Margreth) (pdf 0.1 Mb)
- Addendum to the "Adaptation of the Swiss Guidelines for supporting structures for Icelandic conditions (IMO Rep. 99013)" (IMO Memo TóJ-2003-05, author T. Jóhannesson) (pdf 0.03 Mb)
- Remarks on the design of avalanche braking mounds based on experiments in 3, 6, 9 and 34 m long chutes (IMO Int. Rep. 03024, 2003, authors T. Jóhannesson and Kr. M. Hákonardóttir) (pdf 0.8 Mb)
- Field observations and laboratory experiments for evaluating the effectiveness of avalanche defence structures in Iceland. Main results and future programme (pdf 0,8 Mb) (Í: Proceedings of the International Seminar on Snow and Avalanches Test Sites, Grenoble, France, 22−23 November 2002, F. Naaim-Bouvet, ed., s. 99−109, Grenoble, Cemagref, 2003, author T. Jóhannesson) [abstract] (html)
- Stálgrindur eða snjóflóðanet? Val á tegund stoðvirkja fyrir íslenskar aðstæður (IMO Memo TóJ-2004-04, author T. Jóhannesson) (pdf 0.4 Mb)
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Proceedings of the International Symposium on Mitigative Measures against Snow Avalanches, Egilsstaðir, Iceland 11−14 March 2008 (editors T. Jóhannesson, G. Eiríksson, E. Hestnes and J. Gunnarsson) (pdf 7.7 Mb)
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The design of avalanche protection dams. Recent practical and theoretical developments (European Commission, Directorate-General for Research, Publication EUR 23339, 2009, ISBN 978-92-79-08885-8, ISSN 1018-5593, DOI 10.2777/12871. Edited by T. Jóhannesson, P. Gauer, P. Issler and K. Lied. Contributions by M. Barbolini, U. Domaas, T. Faug, P. Gauer, K. M. Hákonardóttir, C. B. Harbitz, D. Issler, T. Jóhannesson, K. Lied, M. Naaim, F. Naaim-Bouvet and L. Rammer) (pdf 1.6 Mb; high resolution pdf for printing, 28 Mb; order free paper copies)
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Background for the determination of dam height in the SATSIE dam design guidelines (IMO Int. Rep. 08003, 2008, authors T. Jóhannesson, Kristín M. Hákonardóttir, C. B. Harbitz and U. Domaas) (pdf 1.0 Mb)
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Software for the computation of run-up of snow avalanches on catching and deflecting dams as well as on natural terrain obstacles that is described in an appendix to the internal report listed above (IMO Int. Rep. 08003, the software is in the form of a library for the public doman software package R which may be downloaded from the internet) [Linux version (.tar.gz)] [Windows version (.zip)] [Documentation (.pdf)]
Reports and papers about laboratory experiments on the flow of snow avalanches agains dams and retarding obstacles
- A laboratory study of the interaction between supercritical, shallow flows and dams (IMO Int. Rep. 03038, 2003, authors K. M. Hákonardóttir, A. Hogg and T. Jóhannesson) (pdf 1.3 Mb)
- Avalanche braking mound experiments with snow. Switzerland − March 2002 (IMO Int. Rep. 03023, 2003, authors K. M. Hákonardóttir, T. Jóhannesson, F. Tiefenbacher and M. Kern) (pdf 0.5 Mb)
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A laboratory study of the retarding effect of breaking mounds in 3, 6 and 9 m long chutes (IMO Int. Rep. 01007, 2001, authors K. M. Hákonardóttir,
T. Jóhannesson, F. Tiefenbacher and M. Kern) (pdf 0,6 Mb) [abstract] (html)
Reports and papers on snow avalanches that have hit avalanche dams in Iceland
- Snjóflóð á varnargarðinn við sorpbrennsluna Funa í Engidal við Skutulsfjörð þann 14. janúar 2004 (IMO Memo TóJ-2004-02, author T. Jóhannesson) (pdf 0.3 Mb)
- Run-up of two avalanches on the deflecting dams at Flateyri, northwestern Iceland. (Annals of Glaciology, 32, 350−354, 2001, author T. Jóhannesson) [abstract] (html)
- Snjóflóðið á Flateyri 21. febrúar 1999 og áhrif varnargarða ofan byggðarinnar. (Náttúrufræðingurinn, 69, 1, 3−10, 1999, authors T. Jóhannesson, O. Pétursson, J. G. Egilsson and G. G. Tómassson) [abstract] (html)
Reports and papers about accidents and economical damage due to snow avalanches and landslides and other natural catastrophies in Iceland
- Slys og tjón af völdum snjóflóða og skriðufalla (Sveitarstjórnarmál, 61, 6, 474−482, 2001, authors T. Jóhannesson and Th. Arnalds) (pdf 1.2 Mb)
- Náttúruhamfarir á Íslandi (In: Orkuþing 2001. Orkumenning á Íslandi. Grunnur til stefnumótunar, María J. Gunnarsdóttir, ed., 238−246, Reykjavík, Samorka, 2001, author T. Jóhannesson) (pdf 0.5 Mb)
- Accidents and economic damage due to snow avalanches and landslides in Iceland (Jökull, 50, 81−90, 2001, authors T. Jóhannesson and Th. Arnalds) (pdf 2.0 Mb)
