From Public Hazard to Key Drivers of Landscape Change: Understanding the Role of Avalanches in Southeast Alaska

The City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska has the highest urban avalanche danger in the U.S., with regular impacts to people, property, critical infrastructure, and natural resources. Avalanche hazard zones occur over a large area extending from downtown Juneau to the Snettisham power plant 50 km to the south, the Kensington Mine 60 km to the north, and the Eaglecrest Ski area 6 km to the west. Developing a better understanding of avalanches and the processes leading to avalanche formation in the Juneau area is critical. This information would greatly aid local and regional efforts to forecast avalanches and update avalanche hazard maps, including the risk to transportation, utility, and mining corridors. An important step in improving [...]