Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements

Dr. Manfred Stähli

The Research Unit investigates natural hazard processes in mountainous areas, in particular the triggering and propagation of floods, sediment transport, landslides, debris flows and rock fall. Further, it examines impacts and needs with regard to protective measures. A further focus of the unit is on the estimation and prediction of snow and water resources, e.g. for hydropower production or early recognition of drought. Process studies on the scale of slopes, channels and catchments form the basis for the development of simulation models and of hazard assessment procedures and for the design of countermeasures. Damage and damaging processes due to frequent and extreme events are assessed as prerequisites for the risk-based and sustainable management of natural hazards.

Principal stakeholders: scientific community, federal and local agencies and professional engineers in Switzerland and abroad.

News

4 - 7 Sept 2013: International workshop of acoustic and seismic monitoring of bedload and mass movements. WSL Birmensdorf. (-> Registration, program)

1 June 2013: The test phase for a new information platform for early recognition of drought in Switzerland (drought.ch) has been launched. Corresponding article in Wasser Energie Luft.

HBM measurement technologies Switzerland publishes an application report of the WSL debris flow measurement system Illgraben.

Subunits

• Hydrological Forecasts
  Dr. Massimiliano Zappa
• Mountain Torrents
  Dr. Alexandre Badoux
• Snow Hydrology
  Dr. Tobias Jonas
• Mass Movements
  Dr. Brian McArdell