Relating remotely sensed forest damage data to wind data: storms Lothar (1999) and Vivian (1990) in Switzerland
Tilo Usbeck, Peter Waldner, Matthias Dobbertin, Christian Ginzler, Christian Hoffmann, Flurin Sutter, Charlotte Steinmeier, Richard Volz, Gustav Schneiter & Martine Rebetez
| Résumé |
This study compares the surface wind speed and forest damage data of
two exceptionally severe winter storms, Vivian 1990 and Lothar 1999.
The study area comprises the region that suffered damage in
Switzerland. The wind speed data were derived from simulations of
MeteoSwiss (Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology),
measurements during the storm periods and expert analyses of the
data. The remotely sensed forest damage data were provided by the
Federal Office for the Environment and the forest cover data by
Swiss Federal Statistical Office. We compared data on the peak gust
and maximum average wind speed, with data on the spatially related
forest area and forest damage area, and found some clear
differences in the correlations between the different wind data and
forest damage. Our results point generally to the damage-causing
role of near-surface gusts at maximum wind speeds during the storm.
These tended to be spatially distributed on a fine scale. In only a
few cases were the results statistically significant. However,
these results could probably be improved with better wind data. For
example, gust measurements spatially closer to forests or
simulations of gusts at maximum wind speed could be produced with a
spatially higher resolution. |
| Citation | Usbeck, T., Waldner, P., Dobbertin, M., Ginzler, C., Hoffmann, C., Sutter, F., Steinmeier, C., Volz, R., Schneiter, G., & Rebetez, M. (2012). Relating remotely sensed forest damage data to wind data: storms Lothar (1999) and Vivian (1990) in Switzerland. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 108(3-4), 451-462. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Anglais) |
| Date de publication | 2012 |
| Nom du périodique | Theoretical and Applied Climatology |
| Volume | 108 |
| Numéro | 3-4 |
| Pages | 451-462 |