What Is Infrasound?
Infrasound is sound below the threshold of human hearing (20Hz) and can travel thousands of miles. Avalanches, thunder, volcanoes, tornados, helicopters, elephants and whales are examples that generate infrasound.
Avalanche Monitoring
Immediate Information With 24/7 Monitoring
Track avalanches with sound
Using Infrasound to Monitor Avalanches
How It Works
Specially designed Infrasound sensors measure the pressure changes in the atmosphere caused by the movement of the atmosphere as an avalanche moves downslope. Multiple Infrasound sensors spaced about 30 meters apart listen for events. A network of arrays spaced 1-2 km apart allows for pinpointing where an avalanche occurred, alerting users of the event within seconds.
Equipment & Software Integration
- Always listening with 24/7 monitoring
- Detect small avalanches that occur in avalanche start zones that may not be visible to observers
- Detect avalanches that occur in poor visibility, e.g. night time, storms or areas with difficult access
- Successful avalanche mitigation verification
- Keeping workers safe via alerts and real time visualizations
- Tracks avalanche location and velocity using a network of multiple arrays
- Monitoring large areas for events opposed to only single avalanche paths
Dedicated & Educated Support
The Value of Our System
- 10 years of dedicated research to avalanche infrasound
- Custom designed sensors proven to monitor avalanches, volcanoes, thunder and rock fall
- Specialized hardware allows for more monitoring installations which leads to increased detection abilities
- Multiple infrasound arrays pinpoint detections and track avalanche movement
- Powerful software platform for data transmission and processing
- Know within 10 seconds that an avalanche is occurring with specific installations
- Email and text alerts to notify of avalanche events and summarize the daily or weekly activity
SnowObs Integration
Bring Together Monitoring and Observations
Avalanche monitoring integrates with SnowObs. SnowObs is mobile friendly, confirm avalanche activity or mitigation directly from your device within moments. Streaming allows for real time visualization of detections which increases worker safety and awareness.
Interested in Learning More?
Find out how Snowbound Solutions can help your natural hazard operation be more effective and efficient with our custom technology solutions and consulting services.