Erich Peitzsch, Ph.D
My main interests lie in the realm of snow and ice.
Research Interests
Previous projects include investigating wet snow avalanche processes, such as water movement in the snowpack and its implications for wet slab avalanches. Working as an avalanche forecaster for the spring opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park allows me to continue work on wet snow avalanche projects such as glide slab avalanches. I am also interested in investigating ecological change associated with avalanches, avalanche runout probability, and the relationship between climate and avalanches. Other research interests include monitoring mass balance of small mountain catchment glaciers.
Professional Experience
Supervisory Research Physical Scientist, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Earth Sciences, Snow Science. 2020. Montana State University, Bozeman
MS. Earth Sciences (Snow Science). 2009. Montana State University, Bozema
BA. Environmental Studies. 2000. Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
Filter Total Items: 34
Case study: 2016 Natural glide and wet slab avalanche cycle, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
The Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) is the premier tourist attraction in Glacier
National Park, Montana. The GTSR also traverses through and under 40 avalanche paths which
pose a hazard to National Park Service (NPS) road crews during the annual spring snow plowing
operation. Through a joint collaboration between the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), a forecasting program primarily dealing w
Authors
Jacob Hutchinson, Erich H. Peitzsch, Adam Clark
Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Glide snow avalanches are dangerous and difficult to predict. Despite substantial recent research there is still inadequate understanding regarding the controls of glide snow avalanche release. Glide snow avalanches often occur in similar terrain or the same locations annually, and repeat observations and prior work suggest that specific topography may be critical. Thus, to gain a better understan
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Assessing the importance of terrain parameters on glide avalanche release
Glide snow avalanches are dangerous and difficult to predict. Despite recent research there is still a lack of understanding regarding the controls of glide avalanche release. Glide avalanches often occur in similar terrain or the same locations annually and observations suggest that topography may be critical. Thus, to gain an understanding of the terrain component of these types of avalanches we
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Wet slab and glide avalanches are presumably triggered by free water moving through the snowpack and the subsequent interaction with layer or ground interfaces, and typically occur in the spring during warming and subsequent melt periods. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, both types of avalanc
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase Reardon
Timing of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Wet snow avalanches pose a problem for annual spring road opening operations along the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. A suite of meteorological metrics and snow observations has been used to forecast for wet slab and glide avalanche activity. However, the timing of spring wet slab and glide avalanches is a difficult process to forecast and requires new capabil
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Time lapse photography as an approach to understanding glide avalanche activity
Avalanches resulting from glide cracks are notoriously difficult to forecast, but are a recurring problem for numerous avalanche forecasting programs. In some cases glide cracks are observed to open and then melt away in situ. In other cases, they open and then fail catastrophically as large, full-depth avalanches. Our understanding and management of these phenomena are currently limited. It is th
Authors
Jordy Hendrikx, Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre
Avalanche ecology and large magnitude avalanche events: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Large magnitude snow avalanches play an important role ecologically in terms of wildlife habitat, vegetation diversity, and sediment transport within a watershed. Ecological effects from these infrequent avalanches can last for decades. Understanding the frequency of such large magnitude avalanches is also critical to avalanche forecasting for the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR). In January 2009, a l
Authors
Daniel B. Fagre, Erich H. Peitzsch
Using GIS and Google Earth for the creation of the Going-to-the-Sun Road Avalanche Atlas, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Snow avalanche paths are key geomorphologic features in Glacier National Park, Montana, and an important component of mountain ecosystems: they are isolated within a larger ecosystem, they are continuously disturbed, and they contain unique physical characteristics (Malanson and Butler, 1984). Avalanches impact subalpine forest structure and function, as well as overall biodiversity (Bebi et al.,
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Mark Dundas
Characterizing wet slab and glide slab avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide slab snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Both wet slab and glide slab avalanches are thought to depend upon free water moving through the snowpack but are driven by different processes. In Glacier National Park, Montana, both types of avalanches can occur in the same year and affect the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR). Both wet slab and g
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase Reardon
A practitioner's tool for assessing glide crack activity
Glide cracks can result in full-depth glide avalanche release. Avalanches from glide cracks are notoriously difficult to forecast, but are a reoccurring problem in a number of different avalanche forecasting programs across a range of snow climates. Despite this, there is no consensus for how to best manage, mitigate, or even observe glide cracks and the potential resultant avalanche activity. It
Authors
Jordy Hendrikx, Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre
Non-USGS Publications**
Peitzsch, E. 2008. Wet slab avalanches: theory and recent research…or what do we really know about wet slabs?, The Avalanche Review, 26:4, 20-21.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
Filter Total Items: 34
Case study: 2016 Natural glide and wet slab avalanche cycle, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
The Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) is the premier tourist attraction in Glacier
National Park, Montana. The GTSR also traverses through and under 40 avalanche paths which
pose a hazard to National Park Service (NPS) road crews during the annual spring snow plowing
operation. Through a joint collaboration between the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), a forecasting program primarily dealing w
Authors
Jacob Hutchinson, Erich H. Peitzsch, Adam Clark
Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Glide snow avalanches are dangerous and difficult to predict. Despite substantial recent research there is still inadequate understanding regarding the controls of glide snow avalanche release. Glide snow avalanches often occur in similar terrain or the same locations annually, and repeat observations and prior work suggest that specific topography may be critical. Thus, to gain a better understan
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Assessing the importance of terrain parameters on glide avalanche release
Glide snow avalanches are dangerous and difficult to predict. Despite recent research there is still a lack of understanding regarding the controls of glide avalanche release. Glide avalanches often occur in similar terrain or the same locations annually and observations suggest that topography may be critical. Thus, to gain an understanding of the terrain component of these types of avalanches we
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Wet slab and glide avalanches are presumably triggered by free water moving through the snowpack and the subsequent interaction with layer or ground interfaces, and typically occur in the spring during warming and subsequent melt periods. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, both types of avalanc
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase Reardon
Timing of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Wet snow avalanches pose a problem for annual spring road opening operations along the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. A suite of meteorological metrics and snow observations has been used to forecast for wet slab and glide avalanche activity. However, the timing of spring wet slab and glide avalanches is a difficult process to forecast and requires new capabil
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Time lapse photography as an approach to understanding glide avalanche activity
Avalanches resulting from glide cracks are notoriously difficult to forecast, but are a recurring problem for numerous avalanche forecasting programs. In some cases glide cracks are observed to open and then melt away in situ. In other cases, they open and then fail catastrophically as large, full-depth avalanches. Our understanding and management of these phenomena are currently limited. It is th
Authors
Jordy Hendrikx, Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre
Avalanche ecology and large magnitude avalanche events: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Large magnitude snow avalanches play an important role ecologically in terms of wildlife habitat, vegetation diversity, and sediment transport within a watershed. Ecological effects from these infrequent avalanches can last for decades. Understanding the frequency of such large magnitude avalanches is also critical to avalanche forecasting for the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR). In January 2009, a l
Authors
Daniel B. Fagre, Erich H. Peitzsch
Using GIS and Google Earth for the creation of the Going-to-the-Sun Road Avalanche Atlas, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Snow avalanche paths are key geomorphologic features in Glacier National Park, Montana, and an important component of mountain ecosystems: they are isolated within a larger ecosystem, they are continuously disturbed, and they contain unique physical characteristics (Malanson and Butler, 1984). Avalanches impact subalpine forest structure and function, as well as overall biodiversity (Bebi et al.,
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Mark Dundas
Characterizing wet slab and glide slab avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide slab snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Both wet slab and glide slab avalanches are thought to depend upon free water moving through the snowpack but are driven by different processes. In Glacier National Park, Montana, both types of avalanches can occur in the same year and affect the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR). Both wet slab and g
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase Reardon
A practitioner's tool for assessing glide crack activity
Glide cracks can result in full-depth glide avalanche release. Avalanches from glide cracks are notoriously difficult to forecast, but are a reoccurring problem in a number of different avalanche forecasting programs across a range of snow climates. Despite this, there is no consensus for how to best manage, mitigate, or even observe glide cracks and the potential resultant avalanche activity. It
Authors
Jordy Hendrikx, Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre
Non-USGS Publications**
Peitzsch, E. 2008. Wet slab avalanches: theory and recent research…or what do we really know about wet slabs?, The Avalanche Review, 26:4, 20-21.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.