Prof. Dr. Johan Gaume

Function

Joint Professorship

Alpine environment and natural hazards

Alpine Mass Movements

Contact

johan.gaume(at)slfto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 81 417 03 82+41 81 417 03 82

WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Flüelastrasse 11
7260 Davos Dorf

Site

Davos Da D 2 13

Academic positions

2022 - present: Associate Professor of Alpine Mass Movements, ETH Zürich & WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos
2019 - 2022: Assistant Professor (SNF Eccellenza) and head of the Snow and Avalanche Simulation Laboratory SLAB, EPFL, Lausanne
2016 - 2019: Research and Teaching Associate (SNF Ambizione), Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne
2013 - 2016: Postdoctoral Researcher at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos

Education

2005 - 2008: Engineering school of hydraulics and mechanics, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France
2007 - 2008: Master in rheology, mechanics and physics of complex fluids, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France
2009 - 2012: PhD in geomechanics applied to slab avalanche release, Grenoble University, France

LINKS: Google Scholar and Researchgate.

Research interests

Gravitational mass movements
Geomechanics
Snow mechanics
Avalanche formation and dynamics
Numerical modeling

Videos:

Modeling avalanche release and flow using the material point method

Mechanisms of slab avalanche release and impact in the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

The pulsing nature of powder snow avalanches

The destructive capacity of powder snow avalanche is caused by high-energy pulses within his complex layering. The goal of this project is to understand the origin and nature of the these pulses and quantify the danger they pose to infrastructure.

Dynamics of the rock slope instability "Spitze Stei"

The rock slope instability "Spitze Stei" constitutes a risk for the touristic infrastructure around lake Öschinensee and the village Kandersteg. Our project task will investigate the mechanisms which led to the slope destabilisation and analyse scenarios for slope failures.

Modelling cascading processes with MPM

In this project we use a 3D Material Point Method (MPM) model to simulate the interaction of snow and rock avalanches with water basins and lakes in order to develop knowledge and methods to assess the hazard posed by impulsive waves to tourism infrastructure and populated areas.

Lawinendruck auf Hindernisse

Lawinen stellen in Bergregionen stets eine erhebliche Gefahr für Menschen und Infrastruktur dar. Wir erarbeiten ein grundlegendes physikalisches Verständnis der Lawinenaufprallkräfte, um Gestaltungsrichtlinien weiter zu entwickeln, damit Strukturen effizient und standhaft gebaut werden können.

Model avalanche release

A recently developed model describes the principal factors contributing to the release of a slab avalanche.

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Védrine, L.; Li, X.; Gaume, J., 2022: Detrainment and braking of snow avalanches interacting with forests. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 22, 3: 1015-1028. doi: 10.5194/nhess-22-1015-2022

Trottet, B.; Simenhois, R.; Bobillier, G.; Bergfeld, B.; Van Herwijnen, A.; Jiang, C.; Gaume, J., 2022: Transition from sub-Rayleigh anticrack to supershear crack propagation in snow avalanches. Nature Physics, 18: 1094-1098. doi: 10.1038/s41567-022-01662-4

Puzrin, A.M.; Gaume, J., 2022: Post-publication careers: follow-up expeditions reveal avalanches at Dyatlov Pass. Communications Earth & Environment, 3, 1: 63 (5 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s43247-022-00393-x

Li, X.; Sovilla, B.; Ligneau, C.; Jiang, C.; Gaume, J., 2022: Different erosion and entrainment mechanisms in snow avalanches. Mechanics Research Communications, 124: 103914 (8 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.mechrescom.2022.103914

Kyburz, M.L.; Sovilla, B.; Gaume, J.; Ancey, C., 2022: The concept of the mobilized domain: how it can explain and predict the forces exerted by a cohesive granular avalanche on an obstacle. Granular Matter, 24, 2: 45 (17 pp.). doi: 10.1007/s10035-021-01196-1

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Further scientific publications

Montagnat, M.; Chambon, G.; Gaume, J.; Hagenmuller, P.; Sandells, M., 2020: Editorial: About the relevance of snow microstructure study in cryospheric sciences. Frontiers in Earth Science, 8: 619509 (3 pp.). doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.619509

Gaume, J.; Gast, T.F.; Teran, J.; Van Herwijnen, A.; Jiang, C., 2018: Unified modeling of the release and flow of snow avalanches using the material point method. In: 2018: International snow science workshop proceedings 2018. International snow science workshop, ISSW 2018, Innsbruck. 1-5.

Bobillier, G.; Gaume, J.; Van Herwijnen, A.; Dual, J.; Schweizer, J., 2018: Modeling the propagation saw test with discrete elements. In: 2018: International snow science workshop proceedings 2018. International snow science workshop, ISSW 2018, Innsbruck. 976-980.

Benedetti, L.; Fischer, J.; Gaume, J., 2016: A new mechanical framework to interpret weak layer and slab fracture in the propagation saw test. In: 2016: International snow science workshop proceedings 2016. International snow science workshop, ISSW 2016, Breckenridge, CO, USA, October 2-7, 2016. 937-941.

Gaume, J.; Reuter, B.; Van Herwijnen, A.; Schweizer, J., 2016: A new crack propagation criterion for skier-triggered snow slab avalanches. In: 2016: International snow science workshop proceedings 2016. International snow science workshop, ISSW 2016, Breckenridge, CO, USA, October 2-7, 2016. 484-491.

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