For the first time in Kazakhstan, scientists of the country’s Institute of Geography and Water Security released an experimental issue of the avalanche bulletin. The experience of their Swiss counterparts has been applied. Experts hope that their work will help make visiting the mountains safer in winter. The bulletin contains information on avalanche and snow cover in the vicinity of the city. It mainly concerns the basins of two rivers - Big Almatinka and Little Almatinka. Those places are considered the most visited. It is where 90 percent of all snow avalanche deaths occur.
“This idea is new for Kazakhstan, but it is widely applied in all European and the U.S. countries with mountains and avalanches. The avalanche bulletin has long been released. Their types and hazard scale have been developed. We just took that experience and adapted it for Kazakhstan,” said Viktor Blagoveschenskiy, Chief Researcher, Institute of Geography and Water Security.
The hazard is assessed on a five-point scale. A neural network trained on statistical data is used for the forecast. The data is available for everyone. Climbers also provide information on snow situations.
“We place these bulletins on the websites of our Institute of Geography, the Emergency Situations Department of Almaty, Kazselezashita, Kazakh Mountaineering Federation. We also publish them on Telegram. The subscribers view them, and we receive good feedback,” said Viktor Blagoveschenskiy, Chief Researcher, Institute of Geography and Water Security.
