A 100-year extreme snow-avalanche record based on tree-ring research in upper Bødalen, inner Nordfjord, western Norway

Abstract

This paper analyses with the help of tree-ring studies the recurrence of extreme snow avalanches in a path situated in the upper Bødalen valley and originating from an outlet glacier of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap. By analysing tree-ring patterns of 91 trees, four extreme snow-avalanche events, extending over the entire valley floor and up to a distance of 800m from the foot of the slope, are clearly highlighted during the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century. Return periods of 15 to 20years for the most extreme events are extracted from the analyses, and recurrence intervals of 10 to 15years for avalanches presenting distinct deposition lobes uphill of the distal torrent. Results obtained by tree-ring analyses are successfully compared with available documents at different spatial and temporal scales. Rock-face snow-avalanche occurrences in the area, of small to medium size, are associated with heavy wintry precipitation combined with strong winds. However this normal situation is not valid for extreme snow avalanches crossing the path investigated in the paper, which result from the outlet glacier located in the starting zone; this glacier commands spatial and inter-annual variations of snow accumulation in the departure zone.