Snow Avalanches and Debris Flows

Wide and detailed snow avalanche and snow cover studies at the Faculty of Geography was started by Prof. Georgiy K. Tushinskiy -– the founder of the Soviet and the Russian avalanche science. “Thematic Laboratory of Snow Avalanches” was established in 1964 on his initiative. Later, it was reorganized to the “Research Laboratory of Snow Avalanches and Debris Flows”.

According to the state assignment for 2021–2025 the main scientific topic of the laboratory is “Hazards and risks of natural processes and phenomena”. Within the framework of this topic, the research is conducted in the following areas:

Mathematical and physical modeling of snow avalanches

Investigator: Dr. S.A. Sokratov

Participants: P.B. Grebennikov, N.M. Molotkov, Zh.E. Molotkova, Yu.G. Seliverstov, D.I. Korovina

 

Study of the mechanisms of formation of debris flows and related phenomena in various natural conditions

Investigator: Dr. S.S. Chernomorets

Participants: Dr. V.A. Iudina, Dr. V.M. Kidyaeva, E.A. Savernyuk, K.S. Viskhadzhieva

 

Multi-scale assessment and geoinformation modeling of dangerous nival-glacial processes

Investigator: Dr. T.G. Glazovskaya

Participants: Dr. A.Yu. Komarov, E.V. Novikova, Yu.G. Seliverstov, Dr. A.S. Turchaninova, E.N. Vashchenkova

 

Analysis, assessment and modeling of dynamic processes in the problem of regional sustainable development of natural, anthropogenic and technogenic systems

Investigator: Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences V.A. Svetlosanov

Participants: Dr. T.V. Vashchalova, Dr. E.G. Petrova

 

Mapping nival-glacial systems

Investigator: Dr. S.A. Sokratov

Participants: Dr. A.G. Kosikov, Yu.G. Seliverstov, E.G. Kharkovets

 

Spatiotemporal variability of seasonal snow cover characteristics

Investigator: Dr. S.A. Sokratov

Participants: D.M. Frolov, Dr. A.Yu. Komarov, O.I. Komarov, Dr. A.G. Kosikov, Yu.G. Seliverstov, Dr. A.S. Turchaninova

Areas of field research conducted by laboratory staff

Staff

Head of the Laboratory

Sergey Sokratov, Ph.D., Vice-dean Scientific Research, Associate Professor

Leading scientists

Vladimir Svetlosanov, D.Sci., Prof.
Sergey Chernomorets, Ph.D.

Senior researchers

Elena Petrova, Ph.D.
Alla Turchaninova, Ph.D.

Researchers

Denis Frolov
Viktoriia Iudina, Ph.D.
Vera Kidyaeva, Ph.D.
Anton Komarov, Ph.D.
Elena Savernyuk
Yuriy Seliverstov

Engineers

Tatiana Glazovskaya, Ph.D.
Pavel Grebennikov
Evgeniy Kharkovets
Daria Korovina
Anatoly Kosikov, Ph.D.
Nikolay Molotkov
Zhanna Molotkova
Elena Novikova
Tatiana Vashchalova, Ph.D.
Elena Vashchenkova
Karina Viskhadzhieva

 

Scientific instruments and equipment

The laboratory equipment for scientific research includes ZEISS AXIOSKOP 2 MAT optical microscope, Litvinov PLL-9 field laboratory, SnowMicroPen penetrometer, refrigeration units for studying physics of cryospheric processes in cold laboratory, UTL-1 temperature recorders, Trimble geodetic differential GPS receivers, mapping and navigation GPS receivers, DJI unmanned aerial vehicles Mavic 3 and Mavic Pro Platinum, Bushnell laser rangefinders, laser tape measures, rangefinder rods, digital cameras, Lowrance 525 CF echo sounder, laptops, personal computers, printers, scanners, expedition equipment and gear, specialized licensed programs for modeling avalanches, debris flows and floods (RAMMS, FLO-2D and others), as well as for processing digital images and phototheodolite images.

Scientific collaboration

Research work is carried out by the laboratory together with specialists from the Faculty of Geography (Departments of Cryolithology and Glaciology, Cartography and Geoinformatics, Environmental Management, Geomorphology and Paleogeography, Laboratory of Integrated Mapping, Aerospace Methods, Research Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Channel Processes), other departments of Moscow State University (Institute of Mechanics, faculties of Geology, History, Mechanics and Mathematics, Museum of Geography), scientific organizations of Russia (various institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, VSEGINGEO, IGIIS, All-Russian Research Institute of Civil Defense Emergencies, Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, Avalanche Safety Center of JSC Apatit), as well as abroad (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute , Oslo; University of Oslo; Swiss Institute of Snow Avalanche Research, Davos, Switzerland; Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China; Institute of Water Management, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia; Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Lectures

Over the years, the laboratory staff prepared and delivered the following courses of lectures at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, the Kazakhstan branch of Moscow State University, the Institute of Earth Sciences of St. Petersburg State University:

“Structural ice science”, “Ice in the Earth’s cryosphere”, “Rural studies”, “Problems of glaciology”, “Remote sensing in glaciology and cryolithology”,  “Engineering glaciology”, “Evolutionary glaciology”, “Snow cover of the Earth”,  “Geoinformation systems in permafrost science and glaciology”, “Geoinformation methods in glaciology”, “Geoinformation methods for studying the cryosphere”, “Debris flows: analysis, assessment, preventive measures”, “Application of systems analysis in the study of natural systems”, “Ethnocultural foundations of sustainable development”, “Methods of observation of hazardous hydrological phenomena”, “Methods of calculations and forecasts of hazardous hydrological phenomena”, etc.