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College of Letters and Science >
Department of Earth Sciences >
Faculty and Staff
Karl Birkeland
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Geography
Avalanche Scientist with U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center
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Contact Information
Email:
kbirkeland(AT)fs.fed.us
Education
B.A., Environmental Biology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, 1986
M.S., Earth Sciences, Montana State Univ.-Bozeman, 1990
Ph.D., Geography, Arizona State University, 1997
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Research Interests
My research focuses on practical problems related to snow and
avalanches. My primary interest and expertise is on the spatial
variability of snow and snow stability at a variety of scales. Some of
my recent research includes investigating spatial patterns of snow
stability on relatively uniform slopes, studying how those patterns
change over time and through space, exploring historical avalanche and
weather databases with GIS, looking at a variety of factors related to
avalanche climatology, and investigating snow metamorphism in the upper
layers of the snowpack. I am also involved in a number of specific
technology transfer projects between the Swiss Federal Institute for
Snow and Avalanche Research, and the U.S. avalanche centers through my
work for the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center.
Current Graduate Students
Tara
Chesley
Erich
Peitzsch
Eric Lutz
Past Graduate Students
(Served as co-chair with Kathy Hansen)
Spencer Logan (MS, 2004 (expected in
September) - currently an avalanche forecaster with the
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Chris McCollister (MS, 2004) - currently an
avalanche forecaster for the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center and
a consultant for an infrasonic avalanche detection project. You can
read Chris's thesis here (PDF).
Jeff Deems (2003) - currently a PhD student
in the Department of Geosciences at Colorado
State University. You can read Jeff's thesis here (PDF).
Chris Landry (2002) - currently the director
of the Center for
Snow and Avalanche Science in Silverton, Colorado. You can read
Chris's thesis here (PDF).
Selected Publications
These and other articles/theses available at www.fsavalanche.org/NAC/techPages/techPap.html.
In press Birkeland, K., K. Kronholm, M.
Schneebeli, and C. Pielemeier. In press. Changes in the shear strength
and micro-penetration hardness of a buried surface hoar layer. In press
for Annals of Glaciology Vol. 38.
In press Landry, C., K. Birkeland, K.
Hansen, J. Borkowski, R. Brown, and R. Aspinall. In press. Variations
in snow strength and stability on uniform slopes. In press for Cold
Reg. Sci. Tech.
2003 Kozak, M., K. Elder, K. Birkeland and
P. Chapman. 2003. Variability of snow later hardness by aspect and
prediction using meteorological factors. Cold Reg. Sci. Tech. 37(3),
357-371.
2003 McCollister, C., K. Birkeland, K.
Hansen, R. Aspinall, R. Comey. 2003. Exploring multi-scale spatial
patterns in historical avalanche data, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort,
Wyoming. Cold Reg. Sci. Tech. 37(3), 299-313.
2002 Birkeland, K.W. and C.C. Landry. 2002.
Power laws and snow avalanches. Geophysical Research Letters 29(11),
doi - 10.1029 /2001GL014623, 49-1 to 49-3.
2001 Birkeland, K.W. Spatial patterns of
snow stability throughout a small mountain range. Journal of
Glaciology, 47(157), 176-186.
2001 Lundy, C., R. Brown, E. Adams, K.
Birkeland, and M. Lehning. A statistical validation of the SNOWPACK
model in a Montana climate. Cold Regions Science and Technology,
33(2-3), 237-246.
2001 Birkeland, K.W., C.J. Mock, and J.J.
Shinker. Avalanche extremes and atmospheric circulation patterns.
Annals of Glaciology, 32, 135-140.
2001 Birkeland, K.W. and C.J. Mock. The
major snow avalanche cycle of February 1986 in the western United
States. Natural Hazards, 24(1), 75-95.
2000 Mock, C.J. and K.W. Birkeland. Snow
avalanche climatology of the western United States mountain ranges.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 81(10), 2367-2392.
1999 Mock, C.J., K.W. Birkeland, and G.J.
Gress. In: J.G. West and L. Buffaloe, eds., Proceedings of the
Sixteenth Annual Pacific Climate (PACLIM) Workshop, Interagency
Ecological Program, Technical Report, California Department of Water
Resources, 1-6.
1999 Birkeland, K.W. and R.F. Johnson. The
stuffblock snow stability test: Comparability with the rutschblock,
usefulness in different snow climates, and repeatability between
observers. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 30, 115-123.
1998 Birkeland, K.W. 1998. Terminology and
predominant processes associated with the formation of weak layers of
near-surface crystals in the mountain snowpack. Arctic and Alpine
Research, 30(2), 193-199.
1998 Birkeland, K.W., R.F. Johnson, and D.S.
Schmidt. 1998. Near-surface faceted crystals formed by diurnal
recrystallization: A case study of weak layer formation in the mountain
snowpack and its contribution to avalanche formation. Arctic and Alpine
Research, 30(2), 199-204.
1996 Birkeland, K.W. and C. Mock. 1996.
Atmospheric circulation patterns associated with heavy snowfall events,
Bridger Bowl, Montana, U.S.A. Mountain Research and Development, 16(3),
281-286.
1995 Hinchman, V.H. and K.W. Birkeland.
1995. Age prediction based on stem size for riparian cottonwood stands.
Southwest Naturalist, 40(4), 406-409.
1995 Birkeland, K.W., K.J. Hansen, and R.L.
Brown. 1995. The spatial variability of snow resistance on potential
avalanche slopes. Journal of Glaciology, 41(137), 183-190.
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